Mao makes right choice in deciding to take year off
- Thread starter japanice
- Start date
I love that picture of Mao too and it makes me think that eluded OGM is just one of the competitions and it's in the past.
- Joined
- Oct 23, 2011
Mao is simply adorable and so charming as a skater/persona. Her rival is a somewhat detached Korean beauty. I am hoping selfishly Mao comes back, I just hope it doesn't hurt her body. I wonder if she will be able to find a rival like YuNa who pushed her? The Russian girls are all much younger. I hope she lets go of 3 axel. It must be taking a toll on her. Somehow I think she might just not really retire, just fade away like MK and others. I hope she does not think she has something to prove. The WC GM was amazing. She will always be special for me whether she wins an OGM or tops out with silver.
- Joined
- May 19, 2011
Agreed. As I stated in another post, the only thing Mao has not won is an Olympic gold medal. She has literally won every other title there is to win at the top level of the sport: she's won gold at every single GP event there is (all six), she's won the Final, she's won nationals, she's won 4CC, she's won worlds...most of these she's won two and three times over. The only thing she's missing is the OGM.
With the Olympics 4 years away, she has time to take a break. BUT "out of sight out of mind" is a true saying in this sport. A lot of success in figure skating is tied to momentum. This won't be like the post-Vancouver quad where the technical level regressed and no new challengers arose on the world stage. Of the 24 world medals that have been awarded from 2007-2014, 19 of them have gone to Mao, Yu-Na, Miki and Carolina. After Vancouver the landscape didn't change much at all; the only new people to stand on the podium this quad were Alena and Akiko in 2012 and Julia this year...that won't be the case this time.
With Mao sitting out, Yu-Na and Miki retired, and Carolina likely retired or sitting out too, the world stage is about to change drastically and the technical demands are higher than ever. Mao has the goods to compete at the top but with all of these newer girls stepping up the the front, it may not be as easy for her to jump back into the swing of things after an extended hiatus.
Whatever she decides, I'm happy for her. Personally I think she should retire simply b/c short of an OGM, there's nothing else for her to accomplish. If she wants to make a comeback during the 2016-2017 season to aim for the 2018 Olympics, then that could be an option and I'd definitely cheer her on. The question is whether she'll be able to hang with the younger girls two or three years from now...
With the Olympics 4 years away, she has time to take a break. BUT "out of sight out of mind" is a true saying in this sport. A lot of success in figure skating is tied to momentum. This won't be like the post-Vancouver quad where the technical level regressed and no new challengers arose on the world stage. Of the 24 world medals that have been awarded from 2007-2014, 19 of them have gone to Mao, Yu-Na, Miki and Carolina. After Vancouver the landscape didn't change much at all; the only new people to stand on the podium this quad were Alena and Akiko in 2012 and Julia this year...that won't be the case this time.
With Mao sitting out, Yu-Na and Miki retired, and Carolina likely retired or sitting out too, the world stage is about to change drastically and the technical demands are higher than ever. Mao has the goods to compete at the top but with all of these newer girls stepping up the the front, it may not be as easy for her to jump back into the swing of things after an extended hiatus.
Whatever she decides, I'm happy for her. Personally I think she should retire simply b/c short of an OGM, there's nothing else for her to accomplish. If she wants to make a comeback during the 2016-2017 season to aim for the 2018 Olympics, then that could be an option and I'd definitely cheer her on. The question is whether she'll be able to hang with the younger girls two or three years from now...
