[ Their short dance performance set a new U.S. scoring record. The siblings took silver at the 2017 Four Continents in ]Gangneung
Gangneung () is a municipal city in the province of Gangwon-do, on the east coast of South Korea. It has a population of 213,658 (as of 2017).Gangneung City (2003)Population & Households. Retrieved January 14, 2006. Gangneung is the economic ...
, South Korea, placing second in both segments of the competition to Canada's Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir. The Shibutanis delivered a performance of their "Evolution" free dance which earned them their ISU best free dance score in spite of Alex needing to quickly repair damage to his blade which occurred during the on-ice warm-up period, just moments before they competed.
At the 2017 World Championships in Helsinki
Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the capital, primate, and most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of Uusimaa in southern Finland, and has a population of . The city ...
, Finland, they ranked fifth in the short dance and fourth in the free dance, ending up third overall. With their third world medal, a bronze, the Shibutanis notably demonstrated their ability as competitors to deliver under pressure situations. It was their placement that enabled the US team to qualify three entries in ice dance to compete at the 2018 Winter Olympics. The Shibutanis were the only members of the U.S. delegation to earn a medal at this pre-Olympic world championship.
2017–2018 season: Olympic Bronze medals
The Shibutanis made their season debut in October during the Grand Prix Series at the 2017 Rostelecom Cup
The 2017 Rostelecom Cup was the first event of six in the 2017–18 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held at the Megasport Arena in Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus ...
. They scored 77.30 in the short dance and 111.94 in the free dance to place first in both events and won the gold medal over 7-time Russian national champions, Ekaterina Bobrova and Dimitri Soloviev, with 189.24 points. At their second Grand Prix event, 2017 Skate America
The 2017 Skate America was the sixth event of six in the 2017–18 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held in Lake Placid, New York on November 24–26. Medals were awarded in th ...
, they again won both the short and free dance for a total of 194.25 and first place overall, qualifying for the 2017/18 Grand Prix Final
The Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final (formerly Champions Series Final), often shortened to ''Grand Prix Final'' and abbreviated as ''GPF'', is a senior-level international figure skating competition. Medals are awarded in men's singles, ladies ...
in Nagoya, Japan. At the Grand Prix Final, they earned a second consecutive bronze medal. At the 2018 U.S. Figure Skating Championships
The 2018 Prudential U.S. Figure Skating Championships were held from December 29, 2017 – January 8, 2018 at the SAP Center in San Jose, California. Medals were awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies singles, pair skating, and ice ...
, the Shibutanis placed first in the short dance and third in the free dance, placing them second overall behind Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue.
At the 2018 Winter Olympics
The 2018 Winter Olympics ( ko, 2018년 동계 올림픽, Icheon sip-pal nyeon Donggye Ollimpik), officially the XXIII Olympic Winter Games (french: Les XXIIIes Jeux olympiques d'hiver; ko, 제23회 동계 올림픽, Jeisipsamhoe Donggye Ollimpi ...
, the Shibutanis were chosen to represent the United States in the team event. They placed second in both segments, helping the U.S. team win the bronze medal. They became the first ice dancers who are both of Asian descent to medal at the Winter Olympics. In the ice dance event, they placed 4th in the short dance, 3rd in the free dance, and won the bronze medal with a combined total of 192.59 points.
The Shibutanis chose to not compete at the 2018 World Championships.
Programs
Post-2018
Pre-2018
Competitive highlights
''GP: Grand Prix; CS: Challenger Series; JGP: Junior Grand Prix
The ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating (titled the ISU Junior Series in the 1997–98 season) is a series of international junior-level competitions organized by the International Skating Union. Medals are awarded in the disciplines of men ...
''
(with Alex Shibutani)
Senior results
Junior results
Detailed results
(with Alex Shibutani)
Senior results
Social media presence and television appearances
Maia and Alex Shibutani are amongst the most active Olympic athletes engaged across several social media platforms. Their YouTube
YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...
channel @ShibSibs, established in 2012, includes 95 videos which have been viewed almost nine million times by over 157,000 subscribers, as of April 2018. Videos consist a range of formats including behind-the-scenes montages from their travels throughout the world for training, exhibition shows and competitions. Amongst the popular are lip synch music videos with casts which include popular Olympic figure skaters and gymnasts from all over the world, including Yuzuru Hanyu
is a Japanese former competitive figure skater. He is a two-time Olympic champion (2014, 2018), a two-time World champion (2014, 2017), a four-time Grand Prix Final champion (2013–2016), the 2020 Four Continents champion, the 2010 World J ...
, Mao Asada, Michelle Kwan
Michelle Wingshan Kwan (born July 7, 1980) is a retired competitive figure skater and diplomat serving as United States Ambassador to Belize. In figure skating Kwan is a two-time Olympic medalist (silver in 1998, bronze in 2002), a five-time ...
, Kristi Yamaguchi
Kristine Tsuya Yamaguchi (born July 12, 1971) is an American former figure skater. In ladies' singles, Yamaguchi is the 1992 Olympic champion, a two-time World champion (1991 and 1992), and the 1992 U.S. champion. In 1992, she became the first ...
, Brian Boitano
Brian Anthony Boitano (born October 22, 1963) is an American figure skater from Sunnyvale, California. He is the 1988 Olympic champion, the 1986 and 1988 World Champion, and the 1985–1988 U.S. National Champion.
He turned professional foll ...
, Javier Fernandez, Adam Rippon
Adam Richard Rippon (born November 11, 1989) is an American figure skater. He won the 2010 Four Continents Championships and the 2016 U.S. National Championships. Earlier in his career, he won the 2008 and 2009 World Junior Championships, the ...
, Meryl Davis
Meryl Davis (born January 1, 1987) is a former competitive American ice dancer. With partner Charlie White, she is the 2014 Olympic champion, the 2010 Olympic silver medalist, a two-time (2011, 2013) World champion, five-time Grand Prix Final ...
and Charlie White. Videos are created (including filming, editing) entirely by the Shibutanis.
Their respective Instagram and Twitter accounts (@maiashibutani, @alexshibutani) have been tagged as accounts to follow by various media accounts including global media publications such as the New York Times as "Olympian Instagram Accounts to follow."
The Shibutanis were guests on the Nickelodeon television show ''Nicky Ricky Dicky & Dawn'', appearing as themselves during episode 304, broadcast in 2017. They have made several appearances on NBC's the TODAY Show, including to perform on the Rockefeller Center rink and to introduce Ralph Lauren designed outfits for the 2018 US Olympic team.
In September 2020, the Shibutanis appeared on The TODAY Show
''Today'' (also called ''The Today Show'' or informally, ''NBC News Today'') is an American news and talk morning television show that airs weekdays from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on NBC. The program debuted on January 14, 1952. It ...
to discuss their new children's book, ''Kudo Kids''.
Philanthropy and diplomacy
* In 2017, the Shibutanis were named Sports Envoys by the U.S. State Department's Sports Diplomacy
Politics and sports or sports diplomacy describes the use of sport as a means to influence diplomatic, social, and political International relations, relations. Sports diplomacy may transcend cultural differences and bring people together.
The us ...
Office, joining a select roster of figure skaters, including Michelle Kwan
Michelle Wingshan Kwan (born July 7, 1980) is a retired competitive figure skater and diplomat serving as United States Ambassador to Belize. In figure skating Kwan is a two-time Olympic medalist (silver in 1998, bronze in 2002), a five-time ...
and Evan Lysacek
Evan Frank Lysacek (; born June 4, 1985) is an American retired figure skater. He is the 2010 Olympic champion, the 2009 World champion, a two-time (2005, 2007) Four Continents champion, the 2009 Grand Prix Final champion, and a two-time (2007, ...
, who have been named to this role in the past. As envoys, the siblings have traveled to South Korea (2017) and Japan (2018, 2019).
* Right To Play Athlete Ambassadors since 2013
* LA2028 Athlete Advisory Commission members. Active involvement in the successful bid which brings the 2028 Summer Olympics back to the U.S. The Shibutanis participated in the panel presentation at the US Olympic Media Summit, joining LA2028 Chairman Casey Wasserman and Athletes Relations Liaison Janet Evans
Janet Beth Evans (born August 28, 1971) is an American former competition swimmer who specialized in distance freestyle events. Evans was a world champion and world record-holder, and won a total of four gold medals at the 1988 and the 1992 Ol ...
.
* Other organizations and causes which the Shibutanis have lent through support through skating performances, fundraising and social media engagement support include: The Jimmy Fund
The Jimmy Fund, established in Boston in 1948, is made up of community-based fundraising events and other programs that benefit Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Since 1948, millions of people have given money to the Jimmy Fund to help save lives an ...
, Charity: Water (where Maia raised over $10,000 as part of her 2017 birthday campaign), One Fund Boston, and NOH8 Campaign
The NOH8 Campaign (NOH8 meaning "No Hate") is a charitable organization whose mission is to promote LGBT marriage, gender and human equality through education, advocacy, social media, and visual protest.
The campaign was created as photographic ...
.
Awards and honors
* Maia Shibutani is a two-time recipient (2012, 2014) of a Travel & Training Grant from the Women's Sports Foundation
The Women's Sports Foundation (WSF) is a 501(c)(3) educational nonprofit charity focused on female involvement in sports. Founded in 1974 by tennis player Billie Jean King and initially supported by Olympic athletes Donna de Varona and Suzy Chaffe ...
* The siblings are two-time winners of the Edi Award from the Professional Skaters Association
The Professional Skaters Association International is the largest figure skating coaches association in the world. The PSA was founded on August 10, 1938, in Lake Placid, New York, as the American Skaters Guild, just two years (1936) after the Ice ...
for outstanding ice dance performance at US Nationals
* The Shibutanis are several time winners of the US Olympic Committee "Team of the Month" award (including in October 2017 and December 2017) for their competitive achievements while representing Team USA internationally.
Brand partnerships and sponsors
* Tumi Inc.
Tumi Holdings, Inc., is a manufacturer of high-end suitcases and bags for travel based in Edison, New Jersey. Founded in 1975 by Charlie Clifford after a stint in the Peace Corps in Peru, the company is named after a Peruvian tumi ceremonial kni ...
- brand ambassadors
* Ralph Lauren Corporation
Ralph Lauren Corporation is an American publicly traded fashion company that was founded in 1967 by American fashion designer Ralph Lauren. The company is headquartered in New York City, producing products ranging from the mid-range to the luxur ...
- official sponsored athletes along with fellow Olympians Gus Kenworthy
Augustus Richard "Gus" Kenworthy (born October 1, 1991) is a British-American former freestyle skier, actor, and YouTuber. He competed in slopestyle, halfpipe and big air. Kenworthy won the silver medal in Men's slopestyle at the 2014 Winter Oly ...
, Aja Evans
Aja L. Evans (born 12 May 1988) is an American Olympic medalists bobsledder (Two-woman) who competes as a brakeman. At her Chicago public high school she was an All-American track & field City Champion in sprints and shot put. As a college athlete ...
, Jamie Anderson and Paralympian Rico Roman
Rico Roman (born February 4, 1981) is an American gold medal ice sled hockey player and Purple Heart recipient from Portland, Oregon who competed in 2014 Winter Paralympics in Sochi, Russia.
Early life
Roman, who is of Mexican American descent, ...
.
* Intel
Intel Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Santa Clara, California. It is the world's largest semiconductor chip manufacturer by revenue, and is one of the developers of the x86 seri ...
- Global Team Intel Athletes for the 2018 Winter Olympic Games
* Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atlant ...
Corporation's Minute Maid
Minute Maid is a product line of beverages, usually associated with lemonade or orange juice, but which now extends to soft drinks of different kinds, including Hi-C. Minute Maid is sold under the Cappy brand in Central Europe and under the bra ...
brand
* The Hershey Company
The Hershey Company, commonly known as Hershey's, is an American multinational company and one of the largest chocolate manufacturers in the world. It also manufactures baked products, such as cookies and cakes, and sells beverages like milksh ...
's Ice Breakers brand
* Smucker's Milk-Bone
Milk-Bone is a brand of dog biscuit. It was created in 1908 by the F.H. Bennett Biscuit Company, which operated a bakery on the Lower East Side of New York City. Originally named "Maltoid", the biscuit was a bone-shaped treat made from minerals, ...
brand
References
External links
*
Maia Shibutani / Alex Shibutani
at IceNetwork.com
U.S. Figure Skating is the national governing body for the sport of figure skating in the United States. It is recognized as such by the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee "USOPC" under the Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateur Sports Act a ...
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shibutani, Maia
American female ice dancers
1994 births
Sportspeople from New York City
Sportspeople from Greenwich, Connecticut
Living people
American sportspeople of Japanese descent
World Figure Skating Championships medalists
Four Continents Figure Skating Championships medalists
World Junior Figure Skating Championships medalists
Figure skaters at the 2014 Winter Olympics
Figure skaters at the 2018 Winter Olympics
Medalists at the 2018 Winter Olympics
Olympic bronze medalists for the United States in figure skating
University of Michigan alumni
Sportspeople from Ann Arbor, Michigan
American dancers of Asian descent
21st-century American women