Akiko Suzuki and Sochi | Page 2 | Golden Skate

Akiko Suzuki and Sochi

VIETgrlTerifa

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
I can take solace in the fact that the 2006 Olympic Champion placed 9th at the Worlds prior.

Akiko may be the third ranked Japanese skater now with Mao coming back into her groove and Murakami finally performing up to snuff and the latter two are afforded mistakes while Suzuki has to skate perfectly.

However, had Akiko skated as well as she did earlier this season, she could have scored in the 190s and placed in the top five at Worlds. If she comes on strong this coming season, then I don't see why she couldn't be a strong contender for an Olympic spot. Depending on how Murakami and Mao do, Akiko might do better than the third spot coming into the Olympics. I think JSF knows her Worlds performance is an anomaly compared to how she was performing earlier on.
 

japanice

Rinkside
Joined
Jun 1, 2008
I think if Ando is back they might send her just for the endorsement money they would get having her at the Games. She will probably come in some awful result, something like 15h place, even her skating in winning the 2011 Worlds would do nothing against todays field (maybe finish as high as 5th if lucky), and I doubt she would even be close to that level. However they would rather send Ando to the Olympics to finish 15th than send Suzuki to finish 7th or 9th due to the extra money they would get just by sending her.

That said I dont think Ando has motivation to return at all, especialy seeing as she would be no threat for an Olympic medal even working herself to the bone, so Suzuki should be fairly safe. However if she has a bad skate at Nationals, which she has had several of lately, she will not be protected, and they will be more than happy to send a variety of up and comers or decent middle aged skaters in her place. She is not someone the JSF has any vested interest in protecting at this point, and if she wants to go to the Sochi Olympics she will need to skate very well at Nationals to confirm this happening.


Not sure what you are smoking ... endorsement money? Didn't skate at a high level in her last championship season? You mean when she by Yuna for the gold at the worlds?!?

If you don't like Miki, that is your choice ... but this logic is very flawed.
 

Cherryy

On the Ice
Joined
Aug 27, 2012
Yeah, I would understand it if last year the sent Mao because placements of the japanese ladies were all so high (3rd, 5th and 6th). But this time when Akiko was 12th at worlds it seems to be highly unlikely though I'd love to see her LP once again skated the best ever.
 

FSGMT

Record Breaker
Joined
Sep 10, 2012
Yes, remember that Shizuka was 9th at Worlds in 2005 and she placed 3rd at Nationals, just a few weeks before the Olympics, where she won...
 

coolboogie22

Match Penalty
Joined
Jun 21, 2009
I hope that Miki Ando will not comeback.
Akiko Suzuki is my favorite female skater in term of artistry and presentation. Akiko deserve much more to be at Sochi than Miki.
And, Yes Akiko was 12th at this worlds championships but did you see her practice at worlds 2013, she skate clean most of the time, so I don't think that her time has past. She can deliver great performance and more memorable than Miki.
 

Mrs. P

Uno, Dos, twizzle!
Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 27, 2009
There was some mention of the ice being soft? Akiko described it as "struggling through water instead of flying through ice..."
 

aftertherain

Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 15, 2010
There was some mention of the ice being soft? Akiko described it as "struggling through water instead of flying through ice..."

I think that might be why so many skaters struggled more than usual. The rink was reported to be slightly warmer than ideal, and even a few degrees would change the ice quality.
 

ks777

Record Breaker
Joined
Aug 15, 2003
Too bad Akiko won't be at the Olympics. Fumie Suguri will be instead.
 

pangtongfan

Match Penalty
Joined
Jun 16, 2010
Not sure what you are smoking ... endorsement money? Didn't skate at a high level in her last championship season? You mean when she by Yuna for the gold at the worlds?!?

If you don't like Miki, that is your choice ... but this logic is very flawed.

1. I didnt say she didnt skate at a high level in her last championships season. Just that her level in her last championship season would not cut it now at the very top level. Do you really think the Miki of the 2011 Worlds or 2010-2011 season would come within 20 points of the Kim at the 2013 Worlds, never mind potentially beating her, LOL! You know full well the Kim of the 2010 Olympics, 2013 Worlds, even 2009 Worlds is a whole different animal than the one Ando eked past at the 2011 Worlds, and the former and current version is one Ando is simply not capable of being competitive with, even at her all time peak. I doubt she would beat Kostner or Asada either, maybe with her 2011 4CCs competition which was probably her best overall skating ever (she jumped better in some events in the 06-07 but had improved her artistry and overall skating since then by 2011), if Kostner and Asada made the mistakes they made at Worlds, but that is it. At this point returning to her 2011 level would be hard enough, never mind taking it a whole other level which is what she would need to even have serious medal aspirations.

Now in the event the level of skating was as it was in 2011 and 2012, then a 26 year old Ando might be motivated to try and return (although given the reports on her depression and loss of motivation again in her time off, I wouldnt bet on it even then), but not as it is now. She wouldnt even get #1 Japanese status back even if she came back skating well. The JSF always have preferred Mao to Miki, Miki's only year as the true Japanese #1 was that 2010-2011 season, which was the first of two seasons Mao was tinkering with all her jumps and a mess, and Mao is skating well enough now she comfortably will have that support next season no matter what anyone else does; which almost artificially holds all other Japanese off the podium barring something unlikely happening considering on the World stage Mao is clearly 3rd slot behind both Kim and Kostner at the moment, not just based on the World results but in general.

2. It is a well known fact the only reason Ando was sent to the 2006 Olympics when she was having a very bad season was the attention and extra money that her being at the Games meant for the Japanese. Miki is EXTREMELY popular in Japan, and always has been. Only Asada rivals her popularity in the country in the post Ito years. This was before she even became a World Champion. So that is why I speculated even if she did return as an old past her prime skater who wasnt skating near prime, and wasnt even skating as well as Suzuki is now, she would still be sent to the Games over Suzuki just because she is Ando, and they would even rather send a bad Miki ala 2006 who might come 15th than a peaking Suzuki who might come 7th. The end of this season ends Suzuki as a medal hopeful of any sort, so even if Ando didnt return at her best (I agree if she returned at her best she would be an outside medal hopeful, and would almost certainly place higher than a now fading Suzuki would, but I dont think she would be her best even if she returned), that would just mean neither would do anything meaningful competitively for the country, so they would just send the one who would garner more interest and that is Ando by far.

Anyway I am not going to respond to any further comments regarding Ando. I am not dissing her, just dont see what her motivation would be to come back, or why it would be likely. Her competitive chances are not good enough to make it worthwhile, she is 26 or 27 years old, and she seems to be down on motivation from all reports too.
 

Krislite

Medalist
Joined
Sep 22, 2010
There was some mention of the ice being soft? Akiko described it as "struggling through water instead of flying through ice..."

It definitely looked very soft and very slick. Could explain the splatfest in the men's competition and the numerous freak falls among the ladies, but then again some skaters managed to skate clean anyway.
 

Dots

Final Flight
Joined
Mar 18, 2007
Despite the fact that I am very very happy with the ladies portion of the 2013 WC ( espeically the podium), I can't help but feel, like so many others very sad for Akiko. I loved her programs for this season and I really wanted her to do well at these championships and maybe even try to land on the podium. I know it's early but despite this unforunate set back for Akiko do you guys think that she still has a chance to make Japan's Olympic team in 2014? Honestly if Miki doesn't come back I could see the team being Mao, Kanako, and Akiko. Unless someone else can challenge for that third spot.

I'm sure she has a decent chance to make the Olympic team, but forget about a podium finish at the Olympics. She has some of the worse spins I have ever seen on a top lady. :disapp:
 
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