Get to know 2025 Four Continents bronze medalist Jimmy Ma through our 26 alphabet questions! We had the chance to sit down with him at the 2025 Finlandia Trophy, where he gave us a glimpse into his personality and life on and off the ice – from A to Z!
Most Used App?
If we’re talking screen time, it’s definitely YouTube. Because I fall asleep with YouTube
Shorts on. That’s how people around the house know that I’m asleep – they just hear the
same video playing over and over again.
Bedtime?
It ranges from 11 p.m. to 3 a.m. I try to get ready by midnight. No, I try to be in bed by
midnight.
Comfort food?
If there’s a good one around, especially in Japan, it’s definitely ramen. But my favorites
to make are either Japanese curry or mapo tofu.
Your last Dream or any recurring Dreams?
No, but funny enough, all my dreams play out like action movies. They’re never peaceful, but not exactly bad either. They’re more like Michael Bay Transformers-style situations.
Embarrassing moment you can laugh at now?
As for the most embarrassing one, I’ll tell you that off the record. But I can tell you this: back in middle school, I went to a Catholic school. I think it happened during a mass. I’ve always had really tall friends, and I was very short. My best friend at the time was really tall. I was trying to push him, but I ended up smacking his butt instead. Everybody started making fun of me. But honestly, with the camaraderie I have with my teammates now, we do that on a daily basis.
Favorite Fan encounter?
It just happened most recently at NHK Trophy. I didn’t take the shuttle because it was taking too long, but as I was coming out of the station, a fan came up to me, and she was almost in tears. I didn’t think I was that kind of person, but even if it’s just one person, it really brought me a lot of joy. It made me think that what I do is worth it. To get that kind of reaction, to have that kind of impact on someone.
Goals you’re working on right now?
I want to become a better cook. Maybe I’ll even start sharing some of it on Instagram. What I enjoy making the most is Japanese curry because it’s easy to make and it’s really comforting, and nutritious. It’s just proteins and vegetables, and you can throw in the whole kitchen sink.
Holiday memory?
It was Christmas of 2024, and we were at a friend’s house. I just remember all of us dancing. Then Jinna (Han) put up APT by Rosé and Bruno Mars, and everybody was just dancing. Coaches and parents too. Everybody was just laughing and joking around. It was a good time. It’s not even a Christmas song, but every single time I hear it now, I just remember those good times. It was genuinely a very happy time.
Biggest Inspiration?
In skating, it’s definitely Daisuke Takahashi.
Dream Job as a child?
That changed a lot. At first, I wanted to be an architect. Then I watched Doctor House, and I wanted to be a doctor. After that, I watched Suits and I wanted to be a lawyer. But when I was a kid, it was always architect.
Karaoke song?
Careless Whisper. That’s easy. Yeah, Careless Whisper.
Language you’d like to learn/speak?
I would first love to brush up on my Chinese, both my Mandarin and my Cantonese. But definitely want to learn Japanese too. I’d love to do some work over there. I also want to learn Russian just to mess with people. You see a Chinese guy, and then I just start speaking Russian and they’re like “wait, what?”
Movie-night favorite?
If I want something really good, it would be Inception. Even though I’ve watched it like five times, it takes some focus and concentration. But one of my favorite movies of all time is Your Name (君の名は。). I’ve watched it so many times because I’ve shown it to so many people. Even non-anime lovers liked it. It’s just a good, wholesome movie. My wallpaper used to be the scene with the shooting stars.
Niche interest of yours?
I’m very interested in Pokémon cards (TCG Pokémon Trading Card Game). As for the (video) games, I haven’t played anything past Pokémon Black & White. I got Pokémon Sword and Shield, and I wanted to get Pokémon Legend Z-A, but I heard it wasn’t that good and not worth it. My favorite of all time is Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver. We could get into the gaming side of me, but that would just be a very deep rabbit hole.
One book, TV show, and movie that you would recommend?
I’m not much of a book guy. As for a TV show, something short, sweet, and simple would be Cyberpunk: Edgerunners. And it’s very basic, but if you don’t want to get hit in the face by an emotional brick, I’d say Sherlock.
Favourite Podcast?
MrBallen. He’s just a very good storyteller. He tells stories of true crimes. He walks you through the premise of it, the investigation, and then how the authorities solve the case. And sometimes if Joe Rogan ever has an interesting guest on, I would actually listen.
Quote you live by?
The easy one is “Get rich, die trying”. It’s the pursuit of something, to go full out on. There are a couple of quotes that I know, it’s at the tip of my tongue. I just don’t know them, but that one’s the easiest one for the sake of it. But it’s not just so simple as just getting the money. It’s about the pursuit of something that you’re very passionate about, and sometimes the reward is never guaranteed. But if you look back on your life, I don’t want anybody to have that regret of not going all the way to the pursuit of that.
Favourite Restaurant?
There’s this one place called Chili Square in Quincy. I don’t think it’s necessarily my favorite, but it’s the one that’s very memorable just because Misha [Mitrofanov] is the only white guy in there every single we go. I remember it was almost a ritual. Wednesdays were both our light days, and we’d just be like “Hey, let’s just drive to Quincy. It’s only a 20-minute drive, let’s get some hand-pulled noodles”. If we’re talking very fine dining, it would have to be one of the sushi omakase places I’ve been to. If we’re talking easy dining, it’s a ramen stall called 築地若葉 located in Tsukiji Market, Tokyo. My girlfriend and I went to Tokyo with Maxim Naumov. We had to eat on these foldable tables, but the broth was so clear, so flavorful. My favorite food is ramen, and that was my favorite bowl of ramen. And I tried a different ramen place almost every single day when I was training in Japan. This bowl of ramen is still stuck in my mind.
Skating program or performance you wish you could’ve seen live
Patrick Chan’s free skate at the 2013 Éric Bompard Trophy, Daisuke Takahashi’s free skate at the 2012 World Championships, and both of Yuna Kim’s programs at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics.
Training Day Essentials?
Coffee, definitely. I can’t start my day without black coffee. And I need my skates. But besides the obvious stuff, it’s just morning coffee and a good shower.
Who or what do you think is Underrated?
To be honest, the sport of figure skating itself. I understand why some people may have problems watching it, but if people take the time to understand it a little bit more, I think it’s one of the most interesting sports to watch. Especially in America, if some people can get through the stigmas, it’s very underrated, yes.
Dream Vacation destination?
Right now? My couch. If we’re talking like dream vacation, I haven’t been to Hawaii in my adult life. I want to backpack around Japan. I don’t want to go to Japan for skating, I want to go to Japan to just backpack around. Australia, I want to see the coral reef. I don’t even like the ocean, but I want to see the coral reef at least once.
Your Whereabouts on a day off?
Definitely home. If not that, then either the grocery store or… well, that’s hard, because there are so many things I want to do, but I’m just so tired. So, I just want to be at home. Alisa [Efimova] and I like to do this a lot, we like to take walks in the city. Like Newberry Street is always the place to go. I’d definitely say the grocery store, either Wegmans or Whole Foods, or Target, I’ll be there. We’ve got to make those Target runs.
An eXperience that changed you?
It was definitely the plane crash. Everything happened within a couple of days. On Sunday, I was so upset about not making it to Boston Worlds that I didn’t want to see or talk to anybody. Three days later, I ended up on the Four Continents team. I went home to celebrate Chinese New Year with my mom, but I felt like I couldn’t stay because I had to go home and train. By the time I got back to Boston, after a three-hour drive, six of my friends had passed away, along with many others. (That moment) really opened my eyes to the fact that figure skating isn’t the end-all, be-all. We get so caught up in what we need to do and want to do that we forget to step back, smell the flowers, and appreciate what’s around us. And later on this year, my dog died too, literally two days after Worlds. It was April 1st, so at first I thought it was a sick April Fool’s joke. That also opened up a lot more because I was doing a lot of work at Worlds, and obviously everybody was there, we were having so much fun. She was always there, almost unconditionally. (Since then), I learned to step back and look at what’s really important. Obviously, my passion is figure skating. That is my number one priority, Olympic season. But we’re only on (the ice) for seven minutes at a time, or on a training day, three, four hours. But what makes it so enjoyable are your teammates, your parents, your coaches, and the people that love you. I’ve learned to step back and really appreciate that.
A Year that you would like to visit if you had a time machine?
The 70’s. After listening to so much disco music, I kind of like disco (now). Choosing the program music, listening to five hours of disco in one day – I was like, “disco’s not bad”. If I had a time machine, I’d want to go to the future and see what that’s like, because I genuinely love the Cyberpunk aesthetic. I’d like to see how the world would evolve. I like being on a high rise, looking down at all those lights, and just relaxing — maybe having a scotch and a cigar, and just relaxing.
What is your Zodiac sign (and your big 3), and do you believe in the zodiac?
Libra. (I don’t believe in it) besides the fact that I get along with Scorpios very well. It’s weird, but I do get along with Scorpios really well. I don’t even know, but apparently, I’m very Libra. My belief is that if you look at it from a good perspective, any zodiac sign can apply to anyone in any way, shape or form.
Read our previous A-Z interviews:
A to Z with Annika Hocke and Robert Kunkel
A to Z with Loïcia Demougeot and Théo Le Mercier
A to Z with Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps
A to Z with Valentina Plazas and Maximiliano Fernandez
A to Z with Yuka Orihara and Juho Pirinen
A to Z with Júlia Sylvía Gunnarsdottir and Manuel Piazza
