“I did my best to express the image of a “grown-up woman” for the first time in the program” Mao Shimada about SP choreographed by Kaitlyn Weaver
Mao Shimada about her programs for 2023/24 season and start of the season.
source: nikkansports.com
Mao Shimada (14), who won the World Junior Championships in March this year, took the lead with 67.93 points at the Kinoshita Trophy Competition.
She showcased her new program to Lady Gaga’s “Americano.” She performed Kaitlyn Weaver’s choreography in a mature manner and expressed her happiness, saying, “It was good for the first competition of the season.”
In her new costume, she tried pants for the first time. She mentioned that she initially felt embarrassed about the idea suggested by Weaver but now she’s smiling and says, “I like it now.” Reflecting on her role in a program as a “grown-up woman” for the first time, she also mentioned, “I did my best to express it myself.”
Mao Shimada claimed victory at her first competition of the season (Kinoshita Trophy Competition) with a total score of 192.05 points.
Her new program “Benedictus” revolves around the theme of prayer to God. In contrast to her mature performance in the short program, she showcased an elegant performance. While she made mistakes in the early part of her routine, including a triple axel and a quadruple toe loop, she managed to recover and displayed the commanding presence of a world junior champion.
Though there were disappointing aspects in her jumps, she gained confidence throughout the competition.
“Even when I failed a jump, there weren’t any major mistakes. I think it became good practice to not dwell on failures.”
During practice, she’s also gaining a better grasp of the triple axel.
“With the adjustment of the curve, I’ve been stabilizing the jump. I feel like I’m getting better at executing it consistently.”
Drawing confidence from her progress in jumps, she’s aiming to continue through this season with the goal of winning back-to-back titles at the World Junior Championships (February 26th to March 3rd, 24, Taipei, Taiwan) and participating in the Winter Youth Olympics (January 19th to February 2nd, 24, Gangwon, South Korea).
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