Mao Shimada: “I’m very happy, and feeling a bit like I want to win Nationals next year. If I aim one step higher, winning is the only option, and I’m starting to feel that way.”
Mao Shimada about Japanese Nationals.
original source: sportiva.shueisha.co.jp dd 27d December by Yoshimi Oriyama
Mao Shimada about Japanese Nationals. Here’s a translation of her comments posted on Web Sportiva.
On the day before the short program at the senior Japanese Nationals, Shimada expressed, “I want to skate with all my heart without feeling pressured. I’m not aiming for a perfect performance, but rather a performance that reflects my true self, which I think can help relieve the tension. I’m not specifically aiming for a rank, but I hope to deliver a performance that is energetic, junior-like, and enjoyable.”
“I was nervous because there were many times when I couldn’t perform as well in the competition as I did in practice, but I decided not to dwell on the past and focused solely on the present,” she said about her skate in the short program at Nationals.
“Including the triple axel added some points, but it also made me realize that there are still areas where I need to improve,” said Shimada. The performance components score, which was in the eight-point range in the Junior GP Series, was lower in all three aspects this time.
She scored 143.42 points in the free skate, totaling 219.00 points to finish in second place behind Sakamoto.
“After placing second in the short program, I felt as if I had forgotten that I was a challenger. There was pressure since everyone was performing well, but I’m happy that I could stay focused and surpass myself. Of course, there were mistakes, and I think I could have done a bit more, but it was really good to keep the major errors down to just one. Especially the triple loop in the final part, which I had failed in the previous competition and struggled with ever since, but managed to land during the actual performance. I think I have grown a bit mentally,” said Shimada.
During the competition, spending four days with senior skaters, Shimada reflected, “The skating skills are completely different, which made me realize I still have a lot to work on, and I need to perform bigger jumps if I want to stand at the top among the seniors.”
Receiving second place, she smiled and said, “I’m very happy, and feeling a bit like I want to win next year has started to emerge. If I aim one step higher, winning is the only option, and I’m starting to feel that way.”
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