“Miracles won’t happen without hard work. Achieving a fourth consecutive World Junior title would be a miracle, so that’s what I’m aiming for.” Mao Shimada to skate to YOSHIKI’s “Miracle”
Mao Shimada to skate to YOSHIKI’s “Miracle” in her final junior season.
original source: Nikkansports dd. May 30th 2025 by Daisuke Fujitsuka
Mao Shimada (16), the three-time consecutive World Junior Champion has revealed that she will skate her free program next season to “Miracle,” a song written and composed by YOSHIKI. Here’s a translation of her comments posted on Nikkansports.
This will be her final season as a junior, and her free program’s choreography will be done for the first time by Marie-France Dubreuil. “I want to practice more to make it a great program,” Shimada.
The decision to choose “Miracle” was inspired by YOSHIKI’s piano performance of the Japanese and American national anthems at the MLB Opening Game held on March 18 at Tokyo Dome.
“It didn’t feel like he was just playing the piano with his hands — it felt like he was creating music with his whole being. It was such a heartfelt performance that I was completely captivated.”
Another factor influencing her choice was the connection to her senior teammate at Chukyo High, Mana Kawabe, who skated to the same piece for her free program during the 2021–22 season and qualified for the Beijing Olympics. “I thought it was wonderful at the time, and that’s when I decided to use one of YOSHIKI’s pieces for myself,” Shimada explained.
At the end of April, Shimada spent about a week in Canada working with Dubreuil. “There are so many moments where the choreography aligns with the music perfectly, so I need to add contrasts and layers to my performance,” she shared. During her time in Canada, she also attended lessons in skating, dance, and ballet, describing it as “a fulfilling experience” with a smile.
Shimada’s season debut is planned for the Kinoshita Cancerv Presents Summer Cup in August, held in Otsu City, Shiga Prefecture. At the World Junior Championships, where she aims for a fourth consecutive title, she has the chance to extend her historic winning streak even further.
Because of age restrictions, she will be unable to compete in the Milan-Cortina Olympics in February next year. However, Shimada sees this as an opportunity for growth: “Since I don’t have to focus on Olympic qualification, this can be a year of trying new things. Miracles won’t happen without hard work. Achieving a fourth consecutive World Junior title would be a miracle, so that’s what I’m aiming for. If I could make something unimaginable happen, that would truly be a miracle.”
Related topics: Mao Shimada
Leave a Reply