SAITAMA, Japan: Japanese figure skater Mao Asada said yesterday, the day after winning the world title, that she needed more time to decide when to retire from competition.
Asada, the runner-up to South Korean star Kim Yu-Na at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, has kept her fans and skating officials in suspense by saying she had a “50-50 chance” of continuing to compete after this season.
“What I feel is that I need some rest now,” the 23-year-old told reporters during an exhibition after the season-closing world figure skating championships in Saitama near Tokyo.
“I have struggled for three years as I could not skate the way I wanted and jump the way I wanted,” she said.
“I had thought about staking my career on the Sochi Olympic season,” she added.
In Sochi last month, Asada botched her trademark triple axel and other jumps to stand a lowly 16th after the short programme. But she came back brilliantly in the free skate to finish sixth overall.
She improved further at the world championships before her home fans.
Asada broke Kim’s short programme world record and topped the free skate section to win her third women’s title following her triumphs in 2008 and 2010.
Yesterday, she said her free skating in Sochi and her overall performance in Saitama was the level she had been seeking to produce ever since Vancouver.
“I am finally beginning to really get a grip of how I can perform,” she said.AFP
