Japan's Shimada wins Skate Canada in Grand Prix debut
Japanese teenage sensation Mao Shimada won the Skate Canada women's title on her senior Grand Prix debut Sunday, living up to sky-high expectations by comfortably topping the free skate.Named after Japanese skating great Mao Asada, Mao Shimada was only denied a place in Japan's last Olympic team because she was too young to be eligible.
Japan's young sensation Mao Shimada captured the Skate Canada women's title on her senior Grand Prix debut on Sunday, exceeding high expectations by winning the free skate. The four-time Junior Grand Prix Final and World Junior Championships champion, who turned 18 on Friday, has never lost an international competition. Shimada, named after skating icon Mao Asada, led after the short program and delivered a flawless skate, beginning with a perfectly executed triple Axel and a quad toe loop, even if slightly under-rotated, which earned her a total of 235.44 points.
Estonia's Niina Petrokina placed second with 221.07, while the United States' Isabeau Levito, second after the short program, finished third, despite an error on a triple lutz. Levito's 133.72 points were enough to snatch the final podium spot from Japan's Saki Miyake. Despite missing out on a spot in Japan's previous Olympic team due to her youth, Shimada's performance has already put her in the running for the 2030 Winter Olympics in the French Alps.
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