Table of Contents
Who Is Maia Shibutani?
Maia Shibutani, one of the ice dance competitors, is a well-known name in the business. Maia Shibutani’s collaboration with her brother Alex Shibutani is what makes her most well-known. Her and Alex’s sibling team has won numerous awards and achieved notoriety.
They are commonly referred to as Shib Sibs.
Despite starting as a single skater, she later excelled at partner skating.
Before we get into the specifics of Maia’s career and body of work, let’s first go over a few quick facts.
More Facts About Maia Shibutani
| Full Name | Maia Harumi Shibutani |
| Date of Birth | July 20, 1994 |
| Birth Place | New York City, US |
| Current Residence | Ann Arbor, Michigan |
| Nick Name | Shib Sibs (with her partner, Alex Shibutani) |
| Religion | Unknown |
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | Japanese |
| Zodiac Sign | Cancer |
| Age | 28 years old |
| Height | 1.60 meters (5 feet 3 inches) |
| Weight | 52 kg (114 lb) |
| Hair Color | Dark Brown |
| Eye Color | Dark Brown |
| Build | Athletic |
| Father’s Name | Chris Shibutani |
| Mother’s Name | Naomi Shibutani |
| Siblings | A brother, Alex Shibutani |
| Education | Clague Middle School Huron High School Greenwich Academy University of Michigan |
| Marital Status | Unmarried |
| Boyfriend | None |
| Profession | Ice dancer |
| Country Represented | United States |
| Coaches | Marina Zueva, Massimo Scali, Oleg Epstein, Johnny Johns |
| Choreographers | Marina Zueva, Massimo Scali, Renée Roca, Stéphane Lambiel |
| Skating Club | SC of New York |
| Training Locations | Canton, Michigan |
| Active Years | 1998-present |
| Net Worth | $1.5 million |
| Social Media | Instagram, Twitter |
| Last Update | August 2022 |
Body Dimensions
A fit and beautiful woman with a height of 1.60 meters, Maia Shibutani (5 feet 3 inches).
She is 52 kg and has an athletic, trim, and healthy-looking physique (114 lb).
In terms of her physical attributes, Maia is a confident woman with a lovely facial shape.
She has a pale complexion, naturally dark brown hair, and similar-colored eyes.
Exercise & Diet
Talking about her workouts at the gym and her training regimen, Maia is all about the cardio.
She primarily works out at the Dogpound, a well-known gym in New York City.
Cardio is the most crucial exercise for her out of all the fundamental exercises.
She works out by sliding the board back and forth, doing lateral (side-to-side) cardio, and strengthening her lower body.
She also does the single-leg reverse deadlift to improve her balance and strength.
She performs the plank jack exercise while using gliders, which helps to activate the thigh muscles.
In the same way, Maia is very dubious about her diet. She makes sure to keep her life in balance and to be in good health.
Eggs, porridge, green tea with lemon, plus grapefruit or orange juice, are major staples in her diet.
Maia Shibutani | Early Years
Shibutani was born on July 20, 1994, under the sign of Cancer.
Her full name is Maia Harumi Shibutani.
She is Naomi Shibutani and Chris Shibutani’s second child, and she was born in New York.
She also has a sibling who is three years older than her named Alex Shibutani.
They are also professional ice dancer partners at the same time.
Education
In 1998, when she was four years old, Maia Shibutani entered for the first time the Greenwich Academy in Greenwich, Connecticut.
Soon after, from 2005 to 2007, her family relocated to Colorado Springs.
She was temporarily homeschooled during those years until their relocation to Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 2007.
She then enrolled at Huron High School in Ann Arbor.
Maia enrolled at the University of Michigan in the fall of 2012 following her high school graduation.
Family History
Maia also doesn’t have a background in athletics; in fact, her parents are famous musicians.
Maia’s parents first met while they were both musicians at Harvard, to further on her family history.
Her mother Naomi was a concert pianist, while her father Chris used to play the flute.
Her parents had a love of music and performances when they first met as fellow music students.
Later, her father practiced anesthesia before transitioning to the banking industry.
Chris played the flute with the Harvard-Radcliffe Orchestra from 1981 to 1985.
He was also serving as the Harvard Ensemble Society’s associate conductor during this time (Chamber Music).
With WGBH/Boston, he had recorded soundtrack and studio recordings.
Together, Maia’s parents are both of Japanese descent.
Although her mother was raised in Miami, Florida, her father was born in Chappaqua, New York.
Additionally, neither of her parents ever took sports seriously. But her father did enjoy skating.
Continue reading about Chad Hendrick’s life: net worth, wife, and Olympic achievements.
Work | Maia Shibutani
Maia Shibutani was one of the two siblings who first learned to skate.
She claimed that jazz, classical, or modern music was constantly playing in their home.
Her mother encouraged Maia’s passion as she learned to skate at birthday celebrations, and frequently put together some lengthy CDs for Maia to practice freestyle.
Earlier Years
At age four, Maia took her father and brother to the ice rink where she learned to skate.
She began training as a single skater when she fell in love with the sport.
She was instructed back then in Old Greenwich, Connecticut, by Slavka Kohout Button. She was attending Greenwich Academy at the time.
“I REMEMBER HAVING A LOT OF FUN, EVEN THOUGH I DON’T REMEMBER EVERYTHING ABOUT THAT FIRST EXPERIENCE. Later, I started taking group lessons at our neighborhood rink with a coach. I VERY EARLY ON ASKED MY PARENTS FOR PRIVATE LESSONS BECAUSE I LOVED TO BE ON THE ICE.
SHIBUTANI, MAIA
The twins weren’t inspired to pursue ice dance until 2003.
Their Advanced Level
In her intermediate level from 2005 to 2006, Maia began working with choreographer Tom Dickson.
At the Lake Placid Ice Dance Competition, she won first place in each of the required and optional dance categories.
The Shibutanis won the Southwestern Regional Championships while she was a student at the Colorado Springs.
Following that, they finished second at the 2006 U.S. Junior Championships.
Junior National Level
Following the 2007 competition, they relocated once more to Michigan, and their opponents moved up to the junior national level.
They did have to wait until Maia turned 18 for her to be eligible to compete on the junior international circuit.
They won gold at the ISU Junior Grand Prix (JGP), where they began their adventure.
Then, they won the silver at their second Grand Prix, which was swiftly followed by another silver at the 2009 U.S. Championships.
Now, they had won gold medals in both of their JGP competitions, they now have gold medals for the 2009–2010 season.
promotion to senior level
They debuted at the 2010 Nebelhorn Trophy, playing at the senior level.
However, they won bronze at the 2010 Skate America and 2010 NHK Trophies.
By 2011, they made history by performing ice dancing at an ISU championship as the first figure skaters of Asian heritage.
They were also the youngest world medalists in the ice dance discipline in more than 50 years.
They won their first senior Grand Prix title in the 2011–12 season.
In other events the next year, they won various medals.
They won the 2014 Ondrej Nepela Trophy after becoming eligible for the 2014 Olympics.
They rose to the top of the 2014–2015 ISU Challenge Cup standings.
By the end of the seasons, They had four silver scattered throughout.
They won their first ISU Championship during the 2016 Four Continents Championships.
With the victory, they made history by being the first ice dancers of Asian heritage to take home an ISU ice dance title.
At the U.S. Championships in 2017, they earned their second consecutive national championship.
They had won numerous medals and titles by the year’s end.
Honors & Awards
Shibutani, one of the best ice dancers, has received a Travel & Training Grant from the Women’s Sports Foundation twice (in 2012 and 2014).
She has won the Edi Award twice, along with her partner Alex, in the interim.
They received this distinction from the Professional Skaters Association for their great ice dance performances at US Nationals.
The Shibutanis were once more designated as the Sports Envoys by the Sports Diplomacy Office of the U.S. Department of State in 2017.
They have also won Team of the Month awards repeatedly.
Below is a list of a few of the other limited accomplishments.
- the Olympics (two bronze in 2018)
- 2016; 2011; and 2017 were world championship years (two bronze and silver)
- Championships for the Four Continents in 2016 and 2015 (one gold, two silver, and bronze)
- Final Grand Prix (two bronze)
- Junior World Championships (silver in 2009)
- Grand Prix Junior Final (one bronze)
Hurt | Maia Shibutani
Maia Shibutani underwent surgery to remove a kidney tumor in December 2019.
She first fell ill in October, while she was in New York, and had to visit the ER.
She was diagnosed with a gastrointestinal virus after a few tests.
She was found to have a tiny lump on one of her kidneys after follow-up examinations and an MRI.
She underwent surgery as a result, and the tumor was successfully removed.
In addition, her doctor said there was a 60/40 chance the tumor was malignant as opposed to benign.
After her operation, Maia spent three days in the hospital before finally going home.
Maia acknowledged that her days following surgery were much more painful than those she experienced when suffering from ordinary ailments.
Maia was cancer-free as of 2020, and even now, just in their early years, she continues to train and compete with her brother Alex.
Maia Shibutani: Salary
The career earnings and salary of Maia Shibutani have not yet been made public.
She is anticipated to be worth roughly $1.5 million, though.
Not to mention, she has received several sponsorships and brand endorsements.
She currently serves as Tumi Inc.’s brand ambassador.
She has served as the ambassador for Right To Play since 2013.
The following are some of the companies she has sponsored.
Presentation on television
The Shibutani siblings appeared as guests on the Nickelodeon program Nicky Ricky Dicky & Dawn in 2017.
They appeared as themselves in episode 304.
They have made several appearances on NBC’s The TODAY Show.
At that point, they performed on the ice at Rockefeller Center and unveiled the 2018 US Olympic team’s Ralph Lauren-designed uniforms.
In September 2020, they returned to The TODAY Show to talk about their newest children’s book, Kudo Kids.
Personal Life of Maia Shibutani
Maia Shibutani is discreet about her personal life and her dating life.
She hasn’t been linked to any dating rumors or controversies as of yet.
She is also not dating anyone right now and is single.
Also Read:
Who Is Tayson Madkour? Everything About Him,
who is Gracie Calaway? Her bio, parents, sibilings and Net Worth
on social media
Top athletes who are fairly active on various social media platforms include the Shibutanis.
She started the @ShibSibs YouTube channel in 2012, which they co-run.
Their channel currently has 153k subscribers.
In addition, many behind-the-scenes clips from their training and excursions are included in their videos.
For her uploads and images, you can also look at her other accounts.
She has 380k followers on Instagram as Maia Shibutani (@maiashibutani).
She also has 106.4k followers under the handle Maia Shibutani (@MaiaShibutani) on Twitter.
