Post by Admin on Apr 16, 2017 20:29:26 GMT
One of Japan’s most popular athletes should have known she couldn’t leave quietly: Mao Asada’s press conference Wednesday to officially announce her retirement from figure skating attracted some 350 media and was telecast live across Japan.
Asada led her country’s figure skating scene since her teens with her trademark triple axel. She started skating at the age of 5 and won world championships in 2008, 2010 and 2014 in an illustrious career that included a silver medal at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.
The 26-year-old Asada decided to take a break from competitive skating in 2014 and made a comeback the following year.
While she had some positive results, including a bronze at the 2015 NHK Trophy, a career-low 12th-place finish at the national championships last December convinced her it was time to call it a career.
”I got off to a good start after my comeback,” Asada said at a packed meeting room in a Tokyo hotel Wednesday. ”I was able to practice and compete but I did notice things were more difficult after coming back, and after the national championships I felt it’s enough, it’s OK (to retire).”
Asada, who announced her retirement from her 21-year career on her blog two days ago, occupied a special place in the Japanese sports landscape. Her popularity far exceeded that of other figure skaters, even those who won gold medals.