'Kim Yeon-ah's rival to No. 2' Asada Mao confesses her feelings after 14 years: “It was painful not to be No. 1”

 

Former Japanese figure skater Mao Asada, who rivaled but never surpassed the “figure queen” Kim Yeon-ah, has opened up after 14 years.

It was at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver that the rivalry between Kim and Asada, who were both born in 1990, became clear. Kim won the gold medal with a world record score of 228.56 points. Asada, on the other hand, had to settle for silver: the difference between their scores (205.50) was a whopping 23.06 points.

The last time they met was at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. Kim returned from retirement to take home the silver medal, while Asada finished in sixth place. The two had been back-and-forth since their junior days. But at the Olympics, Asada was no match for Kim.

In an interview with Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun on Sunday, Asada recalled her 2005 World Junior Championships victory at age 15: 파워볼사이트 추천 “It was the best time, not scary. My youth was amazing,” he said, adding, ”That was when I had the most fun.”

But “at some point, it wasn't fun anymore,” he said, “and I ended my career without enjoying it. It was hard.” Asada retired from active duty in 2017. At the time, he said of Kim, “We had a good stimulation with each other.”

The interview was conducted in support of Japanese athletes competing in the 2024 Paris Olympics. Asada also spoke with Shizuka Arakawa, a figure gold medalist at the 2006 Turin Winter Olympics.

Asada talked about the tough times leading up to the Vancouver Olympics, saying, “It was hard from then on. I was always thinking, ‘I have to get first place,’ and it was hard. I wanted to be first,” he said, adding that ”my technique was not up to par (to be good).”

“It was only after I retired that I realized, 'I like skating,'” Asada added.