Mao Shimada takes fourth consecutive title at Junior World Figure Skating Championships

Japan’s Mao Shimada won her fourth consecutive Junior World title in the Women’s discipline in Tallinn, Estonia, on March 7, 2026. It was the first time in history that any skater in any discipline has won four straight titles at this event. Hana Bath, who rose from third to capture the silver medal, made history by becoming the first woman from Australia to win a medal in this event. Mayuko Oka of Japan slipped to third place for the bronze in her debut at this event.

Mao Shimada

Shimada delivered a lively short program to “Get Happy” and “Sing, Sing, Sing” that earned high grades of execution (GOEs) on all elements. She landed a double Axel, triple loop and triple Lutz–triple toe. All spins were graded a level four, while the footwork received a level three. The three-time and defending champion placed first with 71.90 points.

While Shimada earned a season’s best in the short program at the 2025-26 Junior Grand Prix Final, she still felt this was the best performance this season.

“I was under a lot of pressure and I was very nervous,” said the 17-year-old. “The score did not show what I was expecting. When I checked the protocol, I saw that the step sequence was only level 3. Maybe that was the reason.”

The skater said she only had one chance to practice in the main rink and that it didn’t feel “perfect.”

“I was able to shake things off and brush everything away. I think this contributed to me performing a great short program,” said Shimada. “I was very nervous. I even cried, but I kept believing in myself and performed.”

“My coach told me that I should see this competition as the first one of the next four years,” she added. “I am not really putting myself under pressure for winning a fourth time. It is more that I want to perform well. I want to enjoy it, and that is actually the pressure I put on myself. I want to show my uniqueness and the fact that I have been challenging and pushing myself. That is what I want to showcase in my performance.”

Shimada struggled in practice and was not feeling well on the day of the free skate. In fact, the skater was bedridden yesterday and had thoughts on withdrawing.

“However, when I woke up this morning, I felt a little better,” she said. “I went to practice, but I was not able to do a full run-through. I could only jump until the second jump, and after that I was not able to skate anymore. I was not sure whether I would perform until the six-minute warm-up. I was really unsure. But my coach told me, ‘I will help you when you collapse.” That changed my mindset, and I thought, ‘I have to do this.'”

Nevertheless, the four-time Junior Grand Prix (JGP) Final champion laid down a near-solid performance to “Miracle.” She opened with a smooth triple Axel, followed by a triple flip and triple Lutz-triple toe. The skater had problems on her flying camel spin which was graded a level two and later slightly underrotated the front and back end of a triple flip-double Axel-double Axel sequence. Still, she managed three more clean triple jumps and picked up a level four on her other two spins. She placed second in the free skate with 137.01 points, but with a total score of 208.91, maintained first place overall.

“I was exhausted today,” admitted Shimada. “However, I was able to finish my skating, and I think the fact that I never gave up and finished my skate led to this result. Winning four consecutive titles is not easy. This season had more struggles than good times.”

Shimada will be moving up to the senior level next season.

“I want to reset and start fresh,” she said. “I think I will now be in a position where I can challenge myself and push hard. I really want to give everything and perform well in senior events.”

Hana Bath

Australia’s Hana Bath improved her personal best by nearly four points, placing third in the short program with 66.95 points. Her energetic routine to Destiny’s “Survivor” was solid and featured a triple Lutz-triple toe, double Axel and triple loop. All spins were awarded a level four, while the footwork received a level three.

“I’m really happy that I was able to perform like this today and that I could enjoy it,” said the 2025 JGP Abu Dhabi silver medalist. “Last year I was also really able to enjoy Junior Worlds, so I was happy to do that again here.”

“I tried to improve my skating, and I tried to improve my jumps to do them very cleanly,” Bath added. “I think today I was able to show what I’ve been working on.”

Bath has been training in Japan.

“My mom is Japanese, so the culture shock was not that huge, but there were still some things I really was not used to,” she offered.

Bath, who turned 16 yesterday, placed first in the free skate with a new personal best score of 138.44 with her routine to “Fountain of Eternity” and “Lullaby for Sadness.” She opened with a stunning triple Axel-triple toe that earned high GOEs across the board, but turned out the next solo triple Axel. The skater from Perth went on to land five more clean triple jumps and displayed level-four spins throughout. She rose to second place overall with a total score of 205.39.

“I am just really happy that I was able to skate my best today,” said Bath. “I wanted to enjoy this Junior World Championships, and I was able to do that last year as well. So, this year I wanted to perform for the crowd and show everything that I can do, and I am very happy with what I could do today.”

Bath revealed that she had been working on the triple Axel since she was 10.

“It took me four or five years to make it really consistent,” she said. “All the coaches I worked with since then helped me with the jump and also helped me get it back when I lost it. I am really thankful to them.”

The skater was happy to have won the first women’s medal for Australia.

“I am very proud to represent Australia, and I am very happy to do this for our country,” she said. “I really hope this can motivate other skaters in Australia to reach a higher level and improve as a country.”

Mayuko Oka

Mayuko Oka of Japan placed a close second in the short program with a new personal best score of 69.77. The 16-year-old, who portrays a peacock in her routine to “Moment Magico,” hit a triple Lutz-triple toe, double Axel and triple loop. She also displayed three level-four spins and footwork while earning positive GOEs throughout on all elements.

“I was able to remain focused and calm during the performance, and I performed everything I could do with everything I had,” said Oka. “I wasn’t super nervous for my debut at Junior Worlds. I was determined to perform with a strong mindset, and I wanted to achieve my personal best, and I was able to do that by one point.”

Skating to selections by Carolin Shaw, Oka opened with a triple Lutz-triple toe, but then took a fall on a triple Axel. She quickly recovered to land a triple flip and triple loop, but an underrotated solo triple Lutz proved costly. She earned a level four on all three spins, but the mistakes put her in fourth place (127.40) in this segment, dropping her to third overall (197.17).

“I had some mistakes on my jumps, but I was able to enjoy my performance until the end,” said Oka. “I was able to stay calm and focused.”

“This was my first Junior Worlds, so my goal was to give it my all and constantly challenge myself to improve,” the two-time JGP medalist added. “I realized that focusing on my own performance was the most important thing.”

Moving forward, the skater from Kyoto wants to increase the consistency of her jumps and improve her program component scores.

Sophia Shifrin

Sophia Shifrin of Israel placed a close fourth with a new personal best of 65.38 points for her fun routine to music from Fosse’s Sweet Charity. The two-time JGP medalist landed a triple Lutz-triple toe, double Axel and triple toe. She picked up a level four on two spins and the footwork.

“Today I’m very happy with my performance,” said the 16-year-old. “At first I was a little bit nervous, but then I was able to pull myself together, so I’m really glad about that. My jumps were clean and I also tried to put more focus on the artistry.”

The three-time junior national champion put out a solid free skate to “Remembrances” from the Schindler’s List soundtrack, placing third in this segment with another personal best of 128.42 points. She produced seven clean triple jumps, including a triple Lutz-triple toe, and picked up a level four on all three spins.

“I am really, really happy!” said Shifrin. “I was nervous before my skate, but I am so happy now. I just locked in and did everything that I had to do.”

The skater said her highlight of the season was when she won a medal at her first JGP in Baku, Azerbaijan.

“That was my first medal at such a big competition,” she recalled. “I was not expecting that, so I was very happy about it.”

Shifrin said her goal is to continue to improve and hopes that she has an opportunity to qualify for the JGP Final next season.

Yihan Wang

China’s Yihan Wang slightly underrotated the front end of a triple Lutz-triple toe, but the double Axel and triple loop were clean in her short program. All spins and footwork in her creative routine were graded a level four and she garnered a new season’s best score of 63.44 for sixth place.

“I did all my jumps, and I am happy with how I skated,” said the 15-year-old from Beijing. “There was a little bit of a problem on the Lutz, but I want to fix this for the free skate. I was leaning forward a little bit, so that was the problem.”

Wang landed a total of five clean triple jumps in her free skate to “Snow Above the Earth.” The only errors came when she received an edge call the front end of a triple flip-double Axel-double Axel sequence and slightly underrotated triple flip that also received an edge call. All three spins were graded a level four, and she placed sixth with a new season’s best in this segment. With a total score of 185.37, the three-time JGP medalist finished fifth overall—seven places higher than last year.

“I am satisfied with my performance today,” said Wang. “I landed all the jumps, and I was able to show what I do in training. Compared to last season, I am able to enjoy the competition more, feel calmer and more grounded.”

“I also really want to thank my coach,” she added, regarding Weijun Gao. “I am very grateful that my coach has been with me since I was little. He helped me with all the jumps, steps, and details. I am really happy that we can go to so many competitions together.”

Inga Gurgenidze

Georgia’s Inga Gurgenidze received an edge call on the front end of a triple Lutz-triple toe, but that was the only glitch in her joyful short program to “Dog Days Are Over” by Florence & The Machine. She also executed a double Axel and triple loop and was awarded a level four on all three spins. The footwork was scored a level three, and she placed fifth with a season’s best of 64.28.

“Honestly, at the beginning I was nervous, but after the jump sequence, I just went with the flow, and it went very well,” said Gurgenidze.

The 16-year-old said her preparation coming into the event was good.

“Year by year it is becoming more stressful for me, and I was afraid not to qualify for the free skate, but I did it,” she said. “So now I’m feeling very happy and confident. At the beginning of the season, I had a small injury. I was out of the rhythm for a while, but now I feel confident. I worked as hard as I can, and my preparation was very good.”

Unfortunately, Gurgenidze had a subpar free skate that included a fall on a triple Lutz and several underrotations. She placed 10th (118.32) in the free skate and slipped to sixth place overall (182.60).

“I feel mixed emotions about today,” she said. “Compared to previous competitions, it was definitely better and also compared to last season it was better. So, it is mixed feelings, bittersweet.”

After competing on the junior circuit for five years, Gurgenidze is ready to move to the senior level next season.

“I am very excited about competing at a completely new level,” she said. “I will put a lot of work into my programs and my physical condition so that I can skate both programs clean.”

Jiyu Huh

Jiyu Huh of the Republic of Korea found herself in seventh place overall (180.55) after placing 10th in the short program and ninth in the free skate. It was a good debut for the skater from Seoul at this event who won silver at JGP Riga earlier this season, but the free skate was riddled with edge calls on most of her jumps.

“I was happy with my skate, but not so much with the score,” said the 14-year-old of her free skate. “They were very strict.”

Huh wants to improve on her edges and spins for next season.

“I also want to level up my programs and my jumps,” she said.

Rounding out the field

Valeriya Ezhova of Switzerland earned all-new personal best scores in her debut at Junior Worlds, placing eighth (179.17) overall, but wasn’t thrilled with her free skate.

“I am feeling disappointed, but the atmosphere here was really positive and the people supported me a lot, and that helped me so much,” she said.

However, she still happy to make the top 10 in her debut at this event.

“I hope next year is going to be a little bit better,” said the 16-year-old who trains in Champéry.

She plans to take a small break before creating new programs and preparing for next season.

USA’s Angela Shao placed ninth overall in her debut at this event, while teammate Sophie Joline von Felten slipped to 12th.

“It was a really exciting and new experience, but I am really glad that I came here and had this experience,” said Shao. “I am really happy with what I did here because I trained really hard and it actually paid off.”

Felten was disappointed that the free skate didn’t go the way she wanted.

“But it is okay. I will keep working,” she said. “One thing I am proud of is that I did not give up until the end and kept fighting.”

Mei Okada of Japan, who stood in 24th place after the short program, placed fifth in the free skate and moved up to tenth place overall.

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