# Mako Yamashita

Mako Yamashita (Japanese: 山下 真瑚; born December 31, 2002) is a Japanese figure skater. She is the 2018 Skate Canada silver medalist and a two-time medalist at the ISU Challenger Series. On the junior level, she is the 2018 World Junior bronze medalist, a four-time medalist on the ISU Junior Grand Prix series, and the 2017–18 Japanese junior national silver medalist.

## Personal life

Yamashita was born on 31 December 2002 in Nagoya, Japan.
She currently studies at Chukyo University's School of Sports Science.

## Career
### Early career

Yamashita began learning how to skate in 2009 at the age of seven. That same year, she joined the Grand Prix Tokai Club, where Machiko Yamada became her coach.
On the novice level, she won the bronze medal at the 2013–14 Japan Novice B Championships and silver at the 2015–16 Japan Novice A Championships.

### 2016–2017 season

Making her junior international debut on the ISU Junior Grand Prix series, Yamashita won the bronze medal at the 2016 JGP Japan and 2016 JGP Estonia.
She subsequently finished sixteenth at the 2016–17 Japan Junior Championships.

### 2017–2018 season

Yamashita started the season by finishing fourth on the junior level at the 2017 Asian Open Trophy. In September, she won the bronze medal at 2017 JGP Austria behind Anastasia Tarakanova and Lim Eun-soo. Yamashita then won the silver medal at her next JGP event, 2017 JGP Croatia, behind Sofia Samodurova.
She subsequently won the silver medal at the 2017–18 Japan Junior Championships and placed tenth at the 2017–18 Japan Championships. In March, Yamashita won the bronze medal at the 2018 World Junior Figure Skating Championships.

### 2018–2019 season: Senior debut

In August 2018, Yamashita made her senior international debut, winning the bronze medal at the 2018 CS Asian Trophy, behind Lim Eun-soo and Yuna Shiraiwa. In September, she also won the bronze medal at the 2018 CS Lombardia Trophy, behind Elizaveta Tuktamysheva and Sofia Samodurova.
In October, Yamashita debuted on the ISU Grand Prix series in the 2018–19 season. She won the silver medal at 2018 Skate Canada behind Elizaveta Tuktamysheva and ahead of Evgenia Medvedeva, the 2018 Olympic silver medalist. She then competed at 2018 Rostelecom Cup, where she placed seventh.
Yamashita finished the season by placing sixth at the 2018–19 Japan Championships.

### 2019–2020 season

Yamashita began the season with a sixth place at the 2019 CS Ondrej Nepela Memorial. She finished twelfth out of twelve skaters at the 2019 Skate America. Yamashita fared better at the 2019 NHK Trophy, where she placed fifth.
At the 2019–20 Japanese Championships, Yamashita was fifth in the short program but dropped to eleventh place overall after finishing sixteenth in the free skate.

### 2020–2021 season

Yamashita was invited to be a part of Team Red at the Japan Open after the withdrawal of Marin Honda. Competing domestically, she placed sixth at Western Sectionals.
With the COVID-19 pandemic prompting the ISU to assign the Grand Prix based primarily on geographic location to limit international travel, Yamashita was assigned to compete at the 2020 NHK Trophy as part of a field of Japanese skaters and South Korea's You Young. She placed third in the short program. In the free skate, Yamashita attempted a quad Salchow in international competition for the first time, landing it with a full downgrade, as well as making errors on two other jumps. She dropped to fifth place overall.
Yamashita placed thirteenth at the 2020–21 Japan Championships.

### 2021–2022 season

For a second consecutive year, Yamashita placed thirteenth at the 2021–22 Japan Championships.

### 2022–2023 season

Competing at the 2022–23 Japan Championships, Yamashita placed sixteenth.

### 2023–2024 season

At the 2023–24 Japan Championships, Yamashita unexpectedly placed second in the short program, albeit nearly nine points behind segment leader Kaori Sakamoto. She dropped to eighth overall after the free skate, but said that she felt her stamina in that segment was improving. She closed the season with a bronze medal at the 2024 Tallink Hotels Cup.

### 2024–2025 season

Yamashita started the season with a silver medal win at the 2024 Asian Open Trophy. She subsequently went on to compete at the 2024–25 Japan Championships, where she finished in sixth place. Yamashita then closed off the season in February by winning bronze at the 2025 International Challenge Cup.

## Programs

| Season | Short program | Free skating | Exhibition |
| 2024–2025 | She's Like the Swallow by Cara Dillon performed by Leigh Nash & Lucia Micarelli choreo. by Akiko Suzuki Hindi Sad Diamonds (from Moulin Rouge!) by Alka Yagnik, John Leguizamo, Nicole Kidman, Sameer, Leo Robin, Jule Styne, & Steve Sharples choreo. by Misao Sato | Creep by Radiohead performed by Mónica Naranjo choreo. by Akiko Suzuki | |
| 2023–2024 | She's Like the Swallow by Cara Dillon performed by Leigh Nash & Lucia Micarelli choreo. by Akiko Suzuki | Baragaki: Unbroken Samurai Habanera of the Deadly Fight Assassination Banquet Scarlet Robe Battle of Toba-Fushimi by Reiko Tsuchiya choreo. by Kenji Miyamoto | |
| 2022–2023 | Rise Up by Andra Day choreo. by Machiko Yamada, Mako Yamashita, Yuko Hongo | Sunset Boulevard Car Chase by Andrew Lloyd Webber As If We Never Said Goodbye performed by Glenn Close choreo. by Akiko Suzuki | |
| 2021–2022 | Angel performed by Katherine Jenkins choreo. by Mihoko Higuchi | Memoirs of a Geisha The Chairman's Waltz Becoming a Geisha by John Williams choreo. by Mihoko Higuchi | |
| 2020–2021 | Una voce poco fa by Gioachino Rossini choreo. by Mihoko Higuchi, Machiko Yamada | A Thousand Years by Christina Perri choreo. by Mihoko Higuchi, Machiko Yamada | Over the Rainbow performed by Grace VanderWaal |
| 2019–2020 | Una voce poco fa by Gioachino Rossini choreo. by Mihoko Higuchi, Machiko Yamada | Scent of a Woman by Thomas Newman choreo. by Mihoko Higuchi, Machiko Yamada | Over the Rainbow performed by Grace VanderWaal |
| 2018–2019 | Una voce poco fa by Gioachino Rossini choreo. by Mihoko Higuchi | Madama Butterfly by Giacomo Puccini choreo. by Mihoko Higuchi | Over the Rainbow performed by Grace VanderWaal Nocturne by Secret Garden |
| 2017–2018 | Bohemian Rhapsody performed by Maksim Mrvica choreo. by Mihoko Higuchi | Madama Butterfly by Giacomo Puccini choreo. by Mihoko Higuchi | Nocturne by Secret Garden |
| 2016–2017 | Nocturne by Secret Garden | Bohemian Rhapsody performed by Maksim Mrvica | |
| 2015–2016 | Leyenda by Vanessa-Mae | Nocturne by Secret Garden | Leyenda by Vanessa-Mae |

## Competitive highlights

GP: Grand Prix; CS: Challenger Series
International :
| Event | 17–18 | 18–19 | 19–20 | 20–21 | 21–22 | 22–23 | 23–24 | 24–25 |
| GP NHK Trophy | | | 5th | 5th | | | | |
| GP Rostelecom | | 7th | | | | | | |
| GP Skate America | | | 12th | | | | | |
| GP Skate Canada | | 2nd | | | | | | |
| CS Asian Open | | 3rd | | | | | | |
| CS Lombardia | | 3rd | | | | | | |
| CS Ondrej Nepela | | | 6th | | | | | |
| Asian Open | | | | | | | | 2nd |
| Challenge Cup | | | | | | | | 3rd |
| Tallink Hotels Cup | | | | | | | 3rd | |
| National |||||||||
| Japan Champ. | 10th | 6th | 11th | 13th | 13th | 16th | 8th | 6th |
| Team Events |||||||||
| Japan Open | | | | 2nd T 1st P | | | | |
| TBD = Assigned T = Team Result; P = Personal Result; Medals awarded for team result only. |||||||||

### Junior results

JGP: Junior Grand Prix
International: Junior :
| Event | 15–16 | 16–17 | 17–18 |
| Junior Worlds | | | 3rd |
| JGP Austria | | | 3rd |
| JGP Croatia | | | 2nd |
| JGP Estonia | | 3rd | |
| JGP Japan | | 3rd | |
| Asian Open | | | 4th |
| National ||||
| Japan Junior | 9th | 16th | 2nd |

## Detailed results

ISU personal best scores in the +5/-5 GOE System :
| Segment | Type | Score | Event |
| Total | TSS | 203.06 | 2018 Skate Canada |
| Short program | TSS | 66.30 | 2018 Skate Canada |
| Short program | TES | 35.99 | 2019 NHK Trophy |
| Short program | PCS | 30.89 | 2018 Skate Canada |
| Free skating | TSS | 136.76 | 2018 Skate Canada |
| Free skating | TES | 71.67 | 2018 Skate Canada |
| Free skating | PCS | 65.09 | 2018 Skate Canada |
ISU personal best scores in the +3/-3 GOE System :
| Segment | Type | Score | Event |
| Total | TSS | 195.17 | 2018 World Junior Championships |
| Short program | TSS | 66.79 | 2018 World Junior Championships |
| Short program | TES | 38.59 | 2018 World Junior Championships |
| Short program | PCS | 28.20 | 2018 World Junior Championships |
| Free skating | TSS | 128.38 | 2018 World Junior Championships |
| Free skating | TES | 70.27 | 2018 World Junior Championships |
| Free skating | PCS | 58.11 | 2018 World Junior Championships |

### Senior level

Personal best highlighted in bold.
2024–25 season :
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total |
| February 13–16, 2025 | 2025 Challenge Cup | 3 68.78 | 3 129.68 | 3 198.46 |
| December 19–22, 2024 | 2024–25 Japan Championships | 12 65.13 | 4 135.12 | 6 200.25 |
| September 5–6, 2024 | 2024 Asian Open Trophy | 5 54.69 | 1 131.44 | 2 186.13 |
| 2023–24 season |||||
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total |
| February 15–18, 2024 | 2024 Tallink Hotels Cup | 1 69.85 | 3 109.54 | 3 179.39 |
| December 20–24, 2023 | 2023–24 Japan Championships | 2 69.92 | 12 122.23 | 8 192.15 |
| 2022–23 season |||||
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total |
| December 21–25, 2022 | 2022–23 Japan Championships | 22 54.98 | 15 117.98 | 16 172.96 |
| 2021–22 season |||||
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total |
| December 22–26, 2021 | 2021–22 Japan Championships | 12 61.84 | 13 117.77 | 13 179.61 |
| 2020–21 season |||||
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total |
| December 24–27, 2020 | 2020–21 Japan Championships | 4 67.28 | 13 118.28 | 13 185.56 |
| November 27–29, 2020 | 2020 NHK Trophy | 3 67.56 | 7 118.57 | 5 186.13 |
| October 3, 2020 | 2021 Japan Open | – | 1 126.94 | 2T/1P 126.94 |
| 2019–20 season |||||
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total |
| December 18–22, 2019 | 2019–20 Japan Championships | 5 66.64 | 16 104.11 | 11 170.75 |
| November 22–24, 2019 | 2019 NHK Trophy | 5 65.70 | 5 123.55 | 5 189.25 |
| October 18–20, 2019 | 2019 Skate America | 12 46.21 | 11 96.19 | 12 142.40 |
| September 19–21, 2019 | 2019 CS Nepela Memorial | 7 55.99 | 6 107.55 | 6 163.54 |
| 2018–19 season |||||
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total |
| December 20–24, 2018 | 2018–19 Japan Championships | 9 62.94 | 5 134.20 | 6 197.14 |
| November 16–18, 2018 | 2018 Rostelecom Cup | 9 51.00 | 7 110.22 | 7 161.22 |
| October 26–28, 2018 | 2018 Skate Canada International | 3 66.30 | 2 136.76 | 2 203.06 |
| September 12–16, 2018 | 2018 CS Lombardia Trophy | 5 55.33 | 3 126.89 | 3 182.22 |
| August 1–5, 2018 | 2018 CS Asian Open Trophy | 6 50.97 | 3 112.48 | 3 163.45 |
| 2017–18 season |||||
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total |
| December 21–24, 2017 | 2017–18 Japan Championships | 15 57.80 | 10 125.54 | 10 183.34 |

### Junior level

Small medals for short and free programs awarded only at ISU Championships.
2017–18 season :
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total |
| March 5–11, 2018 | 2018 World Junior Championships | 3 66.79 | 3 128.38 | 3 195.17 |
| November 24–26, 2017 | 2017–18 Japan Junior Championships | 1 65.13 | 2 124.90 | 2 190.03 |
| September 27–30, 2017 | 2017 JGP Croatia | 2 65.22 | 2 110.53 | 2 175.75 |
| August 31–September 2, 2017 | 2017 JGP Austria | 3 64.49 | 3 116.55 | 3 181.04 |
| August 2–5, 2017 | 2017 Asian Open Trophy | 4 54.45 | 4 114.35 | 4 168.80 |
| 2016–17 season ||||||
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total |
| November 18–20, 2016 | 2016–17 Japan Junior Championships | 22 42.28 | 12 97.53 | 16 139.81 |
| September 28–October 2, 2016 | 2016 JGP Estonia | 2 62.65 | 3 121.41 | 3 184.06 |
| September 7–11, 2016 | 2016 JGP Japan | 2 64.86 | 4 117.57 | 3 182.43 |
| 2015–16 season ||||||
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total |
| November 21–23, 2015 | 2015–16 Japan Junior Championships | 12 51.40 | 9 107.81 | 9 159.21 |