Japan's Mao Shimada leads in Kelowna after short program

Well, can Mao Shimada, as we've mentioned, world champion, junior champion, four times, 17 years old, can she rise again to the top of the results here in her first senior Grand Prix event? She has been essentially undefeated in her career as a junior. Now she is in the senior ranks. She has a personal best score in the short program of 78.84, season's best, pardon me. And she will skate the short program between two worlds. ...spin at the end and how well it was choreographed to the music with the arms coming out and the sit spin and then the increase of speed on the Y position. It is phenomenal, and it's so impressive, and you can just see the amount of work that she puts into every single detail of her skating. I have covered her since she's entered juniors, and of course, she's undefeated, but she continues to... No, actually, no longer does she surprise me, because you can see weak practices, not weak, but not the best practices, but never in competition. She always rises to the occasion. It is extraordinary. Well, here's a look at her opening triple axel. There's zero hesitation going in or out. It looks so effortless. It looks like a double. And then here, straight into her triple flip. This was the only tight element in the program. I thought she landed on two feet, but looking at it from that angle, it looks like it stayed off the ice, but she did miss a quarter rotation. So a few negative GOEs there, but that won't cost her as much in the grand scheme of things with this overall program. Here, look at her jump combination the second half of the program. Triple lutz, triple toe, and you can see the joy on her face and on her coach's excitement as well. I want to see this in full speed again. I don't want to see it in slow motion. Oh, yeah. Well, look at the centrifugal force on that ponytail. It's straight out. Look at that joy. Wow. It's so exciting to see because she has been undefeated and it's really easy. Well, I wouldn't know, but it is easy to be a little bit complacent or just to stick with what you know, but you can see that every single competition she's challenging herself more and more. Yeah. Yeah, she's rising to the occasion. I mean, the challenge for her in juniors was to keep her motivation, and she did with new programs and new approaches. And now here in senior, will she take the lead? Yeah, I have to guess very easily that she will. Let's see the score. An 82.11, season's best, and both were surprised at the kiss and cry. No surprise here. Wow. She continues to astonish the world of skating for the consistency. Mao Shimada.