Mao Asada confessed after 14 years, "It was painful when I was pushed back by Kim Yu-na."

Jul 18, 2024

Mao Asada confessed after 14 years, 'It was painful when I was pushed back by Kim Yu-na.'
Yonhap News
Mao Asada, a leading figure skating player in Japan, expressed her feelings during the rivalry with Kim Yu-na for the first time in 14 years.

On the 17th, Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun reported an interview with Mao Asada, a silver medalist at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics.

The meeting was held to send a message of encouragement to the athletes ahead of the Paris Olympics.

Asada recalled her 15-year-old days when she won the 2005 World Junior Championships, saying, "It was the best time without being scared. His youth was extraordinary"It was the most enjoyable time."," he recalled. However, "At some point, fun alone became no longer enjoyable" " and his active career ended without having fun. It was hard."

Asada said "The first difficult time came when I was 18 years old." It was the time before the Vancouver Olympics. He said "It's been hard since then" and should always be '1st place' was haunted by thought. I wanted to win first place, too." "My mind and skills became out of control, and it wasn't until I retired that I thought 'The skating is good.'

At the Vancouver Olympics, mentioned by Asada, he became the first female athlete to run three triple axels (three and a half rotations), setting a new personal record (205.50). However, Kim failed to win a gold medal due to Kim's new world record (228.56). At the time, Asada shed tears saying, `It's a shame that I did everything I could.'

Asada and Kim Yu-na represented world women's figure skating for about 10 years from the mid-2000s. The two competed for first and second place, drawing attention as a representative 'Figure Rival'.



tokkig@sportschosun.com