1. Mao Shimada is the 2024 Youth Olympic champion, a three-time World Junior champion, a three-time ISU Junior Grand Prix Final champion, a six-time ISU Junior Grand Prix gold medalist, a three-time Japanese national medalist, and a four-time Japanese junior national champion.
Mao Shimada is the twenty-first woman in history to have successfully landed a triple Axel jump, fourteenth woman to successfully land a quadruple jump and second Japanese woman to land a quadruple toeloop in competition.
Mao Shimada's mother, Ayumi, was a fan of Japanese figure skater Mao Asada and named Shimada after her.
Mao Shimada has a sister, Aoi, who is three years younger than her.
In 2020, when Mao Shimada was twelve, she, her mother, and sister moved from Tokyo to Kyoto in 2020 so that Mao Shimada could train at the Kinoshita Skating Academy under Mie Hamada.
Mao Shimada finished in fifth place at the 2018 Japan Novice B National Championships.
Mao Shimada won the 2019 Japan Novice B National Championships scoring 88.50.
Mao Shimada won the 2020 Japan Novice A National Championships, attempting a triple Axel in the free program.
Mao Shimada fell, and the jump was marked as downgraded.
Mao Shimada placed third behind teammate Hana Yoshida and Rino Matsuike but was too young to compete at the senior division.
Mao Shimada was invited to skate in the gala at the 2020 NHK Trophy as the reigning Japanese national novice champion.
Mao Shimada started her season competing at the 2021 Kinki Regional Championships.
Mao Shimada opened her program, landing a clean quad toe loop.
Mao Shimada was selected for the 2021 Japan Novice National Championships and won the competition.
Mao Shimada was then invited to compete in the junior division.
However, Mao Shimada managed to land the quad toe and won the competition over Rion Sumiyoshi and Mone Chiba.
Mao Shimada was still too young to compete in the senior event.
Mao Shimada was sent to 2022 Egna Trophy to compete in the advanced novice category.
Mao Shimada attempted a triple Axel during the free program, but the jump was landed on a quarter.
In early September 2022, Mao Shimada made her ISU Junior Grand Prix debut at the event in Ostrava, Czech Republic.
Mao Shimada landed all her jumps cleanly in her short program and placed first with 71.49 points.
Mao Shimada then attempted a quadruple toe loop but underrotated the jump, resulting in a fall; the program was otherwise clean.
Mao Shimada won the event with a lead of 23.28 points over South Korea's Kwon Min-sol.
At her second Junior Grand Prix assignment in Gdansk, Poland, Mao Shimada scored 68.81 in the short program after landing her jump combination on a quarter.
Mao Shimada landed a clean triple Axel and a quadruple toe loop on a quarter in the free skate, winning the event and earning new season bests for the free skate and total score.
Two weeks later at the Final in Turin, Mao Shimada landed all her jumps successfully in the short program, albeit with her triple Lutz deemed landed on a quarter.
Mao Shimada was fifth in the segment, but rose to third overall in a somewhat chaotic field, winning the bronze medal.
At the World Junior Championships in Calgary, Mao Shimada finished first in the short program with a new personal best, 0.59 points ahead of Shin in second place.
Mao Shimada described practices in the leadup as difficult, as thus was pleased with her performance on the day.
Two days later in the free skate, Mao Shimada landed both her triple axel and quadruple toe loop, although the latter jump was completed on the quarter.
Mao Shimada then skated the rest of her program cleanly, receiving another personal best of 152.76, winning the event with the fifth highest score ever recorded by a junior woman.
Mao Shimada became the first Japanese woman to win Junior Worlds since Marin Honda in 2016, and alongside country mate and bronze medalist Ami Nakai, secured three spots for Japanese women the following year.
The program was inspired by the Mexican folktale "La Carambada," with Mao Shimada portraying a female thief that steals from the rich and gives to the poor.
Mao Shimada began the Junior Grand Prix on home soil, with Osaka playing host to the 2023 JGP Japan.
Mao Shimada finished first in the free skate as well, despite falling on her downgraded quad attempt.
Mao Shimada went on to win another gold medal at the 2023 JGP Armenia, posting a 33-point margin over American silver medalist Elyce Lin-Gracey, her only error again being a fall on her quad toe loop attempt.
Mao Shimada said she was "happy" with the result, "but a little bit sad" at the issues landing the quad.
Mao Shimada unexpectedly placed fourth in the short program after failing to complete her jump combination, which she attributed to nervousness because of her desire to qualify to attend the Youth Olympics and the World Junior Championships.
Mao Shimada rallied in the free skate, where she fell on her quad attempt but landed eight clean triple jumps, finishing twelve points ahead silver medalist Ikura Kushida.
Mao Shimada was invited to skate in the gala at the 2023 NHK Trophy as the three-time Japanese national junior champion.
Mao Shimada said she was "very upset" at the mistake, attributing it to nervousness from having previously made a mistake at the junior national championship.
Mao Shimada won the segment and rose to take the gold medal.
Mao Shimada became the second woman to win the Junior Grand Prix Final twice, after Ando, and the first to do so consecutively.
Mao Shimada successfully landed a triple Axel in the short program, but fell on her triple Lutz and thereby failed to execute a jump combination, coming seventh in the segment.
Mao Shimada concluded the season at the 2024 World Junior Championships in Taipei, in another presumed contest with Shin for the gold medal.
Mao Shimada finished second in the short program, 0.88 points back of Shin, after her triple flip received an edge warning.
Mao Shimada went on to win the free skate, landing her quadruple jump and six clean triple jumps, while stepping out of her triple Axel.
Mao Shimada got to meet the Japanese actress that played Elphaba on stage.
Mao Shimada liked this concept and decided to use it for her free program.
Mao Shimada went on to take a second gold medal at 2024 JGP Poland with a new personal best score of 224.68, after skating a clean short program and a nearly clean free skate, with the only mistake being landing her quadruple toe loop on the quarter.
Weeks later, Mao Shimada competed at the Junior Grand Prix Final in Grenoble, France.
Mao Shimada went on to win the free skate as well, earning a new personal best 156.16 points and claiming her third consecutive World Junior title.
Mao Shimada had a final margin of over 40 points over silver medalist Shin Ji-a of South Korea.
Mao Shimada was invited to skate in the gala at the 2025 World Team Trophy as the three-time World Junior champion.