- 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.
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.