Mao Shimada wins Skate Canada in highly anticipated Grand Prix debut

Mao Shimada went undefeated in four years of junior figure skating. She's off to an unbeaten start in her senior international career, too.Shimada, an 18-year-old from Japan, won both programs at Skate Canada in her senior Grand Prix debut.She totaled 235.44 points with a triple Axel in both programs and an under-rotated quadruple toe loop in the free skate, beating her own previous score as the world's best this season.She won easily by 14.37 points over Niina Petrokina of Estonia, the 2025 and 2026 European champion who notched her best Grand Prix finish.FIGURE SKATING: Full Results | Broadcast ScheduleShimada won the last four world junior titles. She spent additional years on the junior level because the senior age minimum was raised between the 2022 and 2026 Olympics, resulting in her being four months too young for the Milan Cortina Games, where she would have been a medal contender.How is she being viewed as the 2030 Alps Winter Olympic cycle begins?Well, Shimada visited the U.S. for the first time in May. She threw out the first pitch at a Los Angeles Angels game, where the public address announcer told the crowd that she would train to compete “as a favorite in the Olympics in 2030.”She next competes in three weeks at Grand Prix Finland.American Isabeau Levito dropped from second after Saturday's short program to place third overall. She put two hands on the ice on a jump combination late in her free skate, then singled a planned triple Lutz.Levito, 12th in her Olympic debut, was fourth at last March's worlds in her most recent competition. In the offseason, an injury kept her from doing jumps until August.She also goes to Finland, where she likely needs another podium finish to be in contention to make the six-skater Grand Prix Final in December.With Olympic teammates Alysa Liu sitting out this season and Amber Glenn on "Dancing with the Stars," Levito is the top U.S. woman competing for now.Skate Canada finishes later Sunday with the free dance. Brits Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson, who were fourth, third, fourth and fourth at the last four World Championships, lead by 3.47 points after Saturday's rhythm dance.The Grand Prix season continues this week with Cup of China starting Friday, live on Peacock.Kevin Aymoz rallies to win Skate Canada, second-oldest men’s Grand Prix winnerSkate Canada finishes Sunday, live on Peacock and NBCSN. Nick Zaccardi,