For Japan's Shimada, already a skating star, the Olympics remain a long way off

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For Japan's Shimada, already a skating star, the Olympics remain a long way off

What more is there to say about Mao Shimada?

Only that it is too bad the new minimum age rules for international events will keep the 16-year-old Japanese skater from competing in the 2026 Olympics, notwithstanding her having won a record third straight World Junior Figure Skating Championship Saturday in Debrecen, Hungary.

She did it a free skate score of 156.16, highest in the world since the 2021-22 season, seniors and juniors included  - even though junior free skates have one fewer scoring element than senior.

She did with a total score of 230.84 that ranks second in the world this season.  It trails only the 231.88 of her countrywoman, Kaori Sakamoto, winner of the last three senior world titles.  Shimada’s score was the highest ever at junior worlds, topping her 224.54 from two years ago.

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Ilia Malinin dominant again in nationals short program

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Ilia Malinin dominant again in nationals short program

WICHITA, Kansas -- Figure skaters often say they are competing only against themselves.

That certainly has become the case for Ilia Malinin at the Prevagen U.S. Championships.

The reigning world champion is simply in a league by himself on the national level.

He showed that again in Saturday’s short program, winning by 19.14 points, with Andrew Torgashev second and Jimmy Ma third, 3.03 points behind Torgashev.  It is a record margin for the men’s short program winner at nationals.

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Amber Glenn’s path to Grand Prix Final, figure skating stardom a decade-long journey

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Amber Glenn’s path to Grand Prix Final, figure skating stardom a decade-long journey

(Note: After this story was published, Amber Glenn won the Grand Prix Final (above), becoming the first U.S. woman to take that title since 2010)

Damon Allen remembers well how he felt about Amber Glenn after seeing her performances in the junior event at the 2014 U.S. Championships.

“I thought, ‘This girl is going to be the next star,’” Allen recalled last week.

There is, of course, a tendency in figure skating to anoint the next big thing prematurely. Still, Allen’s reaction did not seem impulsively hasty.

After all, the 14-year-old Glenn had shown preternatural poise in winning the title. Her free skate earned a score better than those of all except the three medalists in the senior event, despite juniors having one fewer scoring element.

“This was not an overnight success, to say the least,” Glenn told NBC Sports earlier this season.

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Changes in skating rules to limit jumps may make Malinin's record literally one for the ages

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Changes in skating rules to limit jumps may make Malinin's record literally one for the ages

There is an old saying in sports that goes, “Records are made to be broken.”

That may not apply to the world record men’s free skate score Ilia Malinin posted in winning the 2024 World Championships – as well as to several women’s world records – if the International Skating Union passes proposals limiting jumps at its biennial Congress this June in Las Vegas.

Should that happen, everyone should have their asterisks ready, as the ISU once again will have to create yet another chronological subdivision on its already confusing record lists.

While the formal agenda for the ISU Congress will not be made public until next week, the preliminary agenda includes the following changes to singles free skate programs recommended by the singles and pairs technical committee:

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Ilia Malinin takes figure skating to new heights while winning world title

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Ilia Malinin takes figure skating to new heights while winning world title

MONTREAL — Let the skating apotheosis of Ilia Malinin begin.

And why not? In four minutes Saturday night, the 19-year-old Virginian took his sport to athletic heights it had never seen before and took himself from third after the short program to the top of the awards podium at the world championships.

His free skate got the highest score in history. He landed an unprecedented six clean quadruple jumps, including his trademark quad Axel and two quads that opened combinations well into the second half of his program.

The crowd stood and roared when he landed his final jumping pass with about 20 seconds to go. The noise got louder and louder until it ended.

“It was amazing to hear the crowd go wild,” Malinin said.

When he finished, Malinin grabbed his head in his hands, as overwhelmed by what he had done as everyone who saw it at the Bell Centre was. He then collapsed in joy onto his back.

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