In brief
Mao Shimada opened Skate Canada International by scoring a personal‑best 82.11 in the women’s short program, finishing first ahead of U.S. skater Isabeau Levito. Men’s champion Rio Nakata placed second overall after a strong short program but fumbled the second and third elements of his free skate. Both skaters expressed their emotions about the performances.
Japan’s Mao Shimada opened the 2026 Skate Canada International in Kelowna with a personal‑best 82.11 in the women’s short program, taking first place and leaving the competition in the lead. Two days earlier, men’s champion Rio Nakata had been in the top three heading into the free skate but settled for second overall after errors in his final routine, according to Kyodo News.
Shimada, 18, landed a triple axel and the key combination of a triple lutz‑triple toe loop before executing flawless spins to finish her short program strongly. The score of 82.11 was the highest she had earned in competition, and the Japanese debuts a record that eclipsed her previous best of 80.76. She had under‑rotated a triple flip earlier in the segment, but her total remains a personal best.
"I’m really surprised by the score," Shimada told reporters after her performance. "It was 82 points with still room to improve after I under‑rotated my triple flip, and that made me even happier," she added, noting she had missed an opportunity to compete in the 2022 Milan‑Cortina Winter Olympics because the International Skating Union changed its age regulations in June.
Shimada’s victory in the short program was followed by a field of competitors that included U.S. skater Isabeau Levito in second place with 78.50, Estonian Niina Petrokina in third with 77.24 and Japanese Saki Miyake in fourth with 71.95. Shimada’s score remains the top in the ladies’ short program among participants.
On the men’s side, Rio Nakata, also 18, finished the short program in first place before slipping in the free skate. He landed a quad salchow on the first of his three quad attempts, but the next two available quads were downgraded to doubles. He described the result as a “pathetic” failure, and wrote that he feels weak because “I’ve only been aiming for first place and frankly second doesn’t make me happy. I want to push myself more.”
Despite the mistakes, Nakata’s total after the free skate was 249.25. French skater Kevin Aymoz outscored him with a 258.43 to win the overall competition, while Aymoz also finished second in each segment. Aymoz’s win gave him back-to-back medals at the Grand Prix Series. While Nakata’s final placement was disappointing, he stated that the results were a reflection of his training and progress at the time showed him in a competitive position.
Mihhail Selevko of Estonia took a narrow third with 248.66, topping the free skate with 169.08. Japan’s Kazuki Tomono finished sixth overall with 222.85.
The source notes that Nakata’s comments reveal an uncertainty about his performance trajectory and the level of competitiveness he faces amid a crowded field of young men. No other details about future plans or competing agendas are provided by the report.
