Mao Shimada, a 15-year-old skater who is expected to be Japan's next generation ace, won the gold medal in the women's single figure skating event at the Youth Olympic Games being held in South Korea. 16-year-old Yusa Takagi also won a bronze medal, making two Japanese athletes on the podium.

At the Gangwon Youth Olympics, the second half of the women's figure skating singles free skate was held on the 30th, and two Japanese skaters participated: Shimada, who took the lead in the first half, and Takagi, who came in second place.



Shimada, who appeared first, was slightly under-rotated on his opening triple axel, and was unable to complete the quadruple jump that he was the only contestant to attempt, causing him to fall and have points deducted.



After that, there were some jumps where he was under-rotated, but among the three jumps in the latter half that increased the basic points, he smoothly executed the triple loop and triple Lutz, and earned points for performance. Ta.



Furthermore, all three spins received the highest rating, and Shimada won the gold medal in the free program with an overall score of 125.94 and a total score of 196.99.



This is the first time that a Japanese athlete has won a gold medal in women's figure skating at the Youth Olympics.



On the other hand, Takagi showed a stable performance following his short program, in which he set a new personal best by performing consecutive jumps from the beginning, which were the source of points, and was also given points for performance.



The free skate score was 115.97, and the total was 183.20, taking 3rd place and winning the bronze medal, with two Japanese athletes on the podium.

Who is Mao Shimada?

Mao Shimada is a 15-year-old from Tokyo.



Her name comes from Mao Asada, who won a silver medal in figure skating at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.



She started figure skating at the age of 5 and is currently being coached by Kyoto-based coach Mie Hamada, who has a proven track record of training many top athletes.



She is a senior athlete. She has been active in international competitions from an early age, and at the age of 14, she broke Mao Asada's record for being the youngest Japanese athlete at the World Junior Championships last year. I won on the moon.



She is also the first Japanese female athlete to land a triple axel and a quadruple toe loop in the same program at this season's Junior Grand Prix Final, and she is still at the junior world championships, winning back-to-back championships. No loss.



Although she will not be able to compete in the 2026 Winter Olympics due to age restrictions, she is also expected to be a potential Olympic gold medal candidate in the future.

Who is Yusa Takagi?

Yui Takagi is a 16-year-old first-year high school student from Tokyo.



At the age of 5, he was drawn to skating for fun and started competing, and is currently practicing at a skating rink in Funabashi City, Chiba Prefecture, along with Roshi Nakata, who placed 5th in the men's singles at this tournament. .



Although he has not had any great achievements so far, this season he placed in the top ranks in both of the two Junior Grand Prix series races, and he was sent to this tournament as a promising prospect, winning the bronze medal, making it a breakthrough season.

Takagi: “I gave everything I could right now.”

Yui Takagi, who won the bronze medal, said with a smile, ``I was really moved by being on the podium.I was aiming for the podium, but I didn't think it would be easy, but I was able to give everything I could and win the bronze medal.'' I'm so happy.'' I talked about it.



He added, ``I was able to set a personal best in the short program, but I made a mistake on the jump in the second half of today's free program, so I still need to improve my stamina.I want to practice more and more so that I can participate in the Olympics as a senior.'' I want to do my best.''