Mao Asada | Page 204 | Golden Skate

Mao Asada

https://youtu.be/it0xzny6nsw

so this is her last competitive program. Perfect and not perfect at the same time: surely this is not how she wanted to perform, but I am glad that the last element she does, which is also the element she is the best at and famous for and unmatched in, receives a perfect +3 GOEs across the board. StSq4 3.90+2.10 = 6.00
 
nolangoh said:
https://youtu.be/it0xzny6nsw

so this is her last competitive program. Perfect and not perfect at the same time: surely this is not how she wanted to perform, but I am glad that the last element she does, which is also the element she is the best at and famous for and unmatched in, receives a perfect +3 GOEs across the board. StSq4 3.90+2.10 = 6.00
Click to expand...

hi nolangoh, :thank: a lot for sharing the video. Mao is a rare case of a skater who was able to establish a pure perfection in this element, every time she performed it, when currently many skaters want to be perfect in everything at once. And 'perfection' can be measured by judges by points, but for me, there was always a 'perfection' feeling about Mao's skating.
 
She was a truly exceptional competitor. A hardworkig, focused and gritty athlete with a humble, kind-hearted and endearingly cheerful spirit.

For me she was unmatched in combining such high-level athleticism with unbelievable ethereal grace. Her aura leaps off the TV-screen, but when I had the chance to see her live it truly hit me how special she is and I could easily sense why she is regarded such an icon. Yes, there were ups and downs, but overall she's had a wonderful career to look back on and be proud of. In the end it's the deep impression she's left in countless people's hearts, which matters the most. In that regard she's one of the greatest ever.

I think her many wonderful qualities will get her far in life no matter what she tackles next. With her perseverance and determination she can succeed at anything. I wish her happiness, as well as joy and fulfillment in all her future endeavors.

Thank you, Mao!




Bilingual retirement-news featuring a few comments and messages from some of her contemporaries (Shizuka, Nobu, Dai & Yuzu):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2nY4pHUScE




CaroLiza_fan said:
Was that Mai at the start?
Click to expand...

Yes, that's her sister Mai. And yes, they both seem to take regular baths in the fountain of youth. ;)
 
synesthesia said:
Yes, that's her sister Mai. And yes, they both seem to take regular baths in the fountain of youth. ;)
Click to expand...

Thank you for the confirmation. :bow: :clap: :points:

I haven't actually seen Mai since she stopped competing, so I just did an image search to see what she looks like now.

All I can say is "WOW!!!!!!" :jaw:

Those Asada girls sure are beautiful!!! :love: :love: :love:

CaroLiza_fan
 
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synesthesia said:
She was a truly exceptional competitor. A hardworkig, focused and gritty athlete with a humble, kind-hearted and endearingly cheerful spirit.

For me she was unmatched in combining such high-level athleticism with unbelievable ethereal grace. Her aura leaps off the TV-screen, but when I had the chance to see her live it truly hit me how special she is and I could easily sense why she is regarded such an icon. Yes, there were ups and downs, but overall she's had a wonderful career to look back on and be proud of. In the end it's the deep impression she's left in countless people's hearts, which matters the most. In that regard she's one of the greatest ever.

I think her many wonderful qualities will get her far in life no matter what she tackles next. With her perseverance and determination she can succeed at anything. I wish her happiness, as well as joy and fulfillment in all her future endeavors.

Thank you, Mao!




Bilingual retirement-news featuring a few comments and messages from some of her contemporaries (Shizuka, Nobu, Dai & Yuzu):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2nY4pHUScE
Click to expand...

After watching the video you posted I am in tears again. I will miss her so much.

Thanks for sharing!
 
Thank you Mao for all these great years.
And thanks for the last autumn to visit in finlandia trophy so i did finaly see you live.
And after all we do have youtube where we can still enjoy your skating.
There have been meny skaters that i have like but only two that I appreciate very high and Mao i second of them.
The other is Oksana Baiul.
:thank::thank::thank:
 
Always give her best without asking for anything in return, follow her heart, not the stream. She is the one of the greatest role models a skater, or just about any person in any field can ever ask for. I'm sad that an era is over. :thank:

Her pure heart and clear conscience are her secret fountain of youth. It takes a humongous willpower to stay poised and retain a zest for life given what she has been through.
 
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Oh dear Mao! She said in the press conference today that, after the short program at Sochi, she thought she might not be able to return to Japan.

It must be terrible to be put under so much pressure …
Then she delivered that unforgettable long program. She is so special!
Thank you again, Mao!
:thank:
 
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http://imgur.com/a/WXgDr
Mao (12) and Shoma (5). Somehow I've always assumed that Dai was the reason Shoma got into skating since he apparently looks up to Dai, but it was Mao who inspired him initially. Happy to see that the seeds that Mao sowed have blossomed.
 
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/k4kfLRHXA2KSjVmvb4P
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/k66lAlVOizIsBcmvb73

here is retrospective of Mao's career in two parts. They kinda go year (or period) by year, some footage of Mao young, some interview with Mai, references to her mother... Be prepared to cry. (i did even though i understand nothing in Japanese)

also concerning Shoma. He literally picked up figure skating because of Mao. He went to the rink and skated for the 1st time at the same rink Mao trained at the time and she thought he was so cute and played with him. He liked skating and he was asked to chose which skating he wanted to do (figure, speed or hockey) and he said "same as Mao chan". After that apparently he kept trying to play with her and chasing her around the rink even when she was training. In an interview he actually reflected that thinking about it he must have been a nuisance to her lol. (I am sure he wasn't as Mao as always said that he was too cute when he was young). His love for Daisuke came after, when he was a flower boy at Japanese nationals and saw him do Phantom of the opera.
 
daphenaxa said:
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/k4kfLRHXA2KSjVmvb4P
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/k66lAlVOizIsBcmvb73

here is retrospective of Mao's career in two parts. They kinda go year (or period) by year, some footage of Mao young, some interview with Mai, references to her mother... Be prepared to cry. (i did even though i understand nothing in Japanese)

also concerning Shoma. He literally picked up figure skating because of Mao. He went to the rink and skated for the 1st time at the same rink Mao trained at the time and she thought he was so cute and played with him. He liked skating and he was asked to chose which skating he wanted to do (figure, speed or hockey) and he said "same as Mao chan". After that apparently he kept trying to play with her and chasing her around the rink even when she was training. In an interview he actually reflected that thinking about it he must have been a nuisance to her lol. (I am sure he wasn't as Mao as always said that he was too cute when he was young). His love for Daisuke came after, when he was a flower boy at Japanese nationals and saw him do Phantom of the opera.
Click to expand...

I didn't know that story, awww :luv17:
 
The irony with Mao for me is that she gained her following at least to a large degree through having such huge success in the system despite often receiving very harsh scoring, which shows the exceedingly rare level of her excellence. Many of my favorite performances by Mao didn't result in overall victory such as Worlds 2007 Czardas and Grand Prix Final 2007 Fantasie Impromptu even though I thought they should, and as time went on it seemed her greatest performances were scored even lower and lower relative to the "standard," even as her expression became more compelling and her skating skills and step sequences more impressive and even when her tech standards were outstanding as well.

Though she didn't, I thought Mao should have placed first in the Vancouver SP and in the Worlds 2010 SP and 2010 LP by a lot because they were astounding performances that were archetypes of greatness. Mao's 2011 4CC Liebestraum was another one of my favorites performances by Mao that didn't finish first, and then there was Mao's Rach II at the Olympics and Worlds 2016 Madame Butterfly which I thought were the best of the competition that didn't even come close to placing first, which is incomprehensible to me based on the profound impression it left and still makes on me. And I think her 4CC's 2012 and Finlandia 2016 performances should have also resulted in victory. I can't separate these impressions from the way I feel they should be translated into results, especially when I think so much of the scoring depends on preference and connection.

At Nationals 2016, there were jump mistakes mainly because of injuries, but there were also very harsh urs calls and low PCS scores for some of the greatest skating skills and step sequences I had ever seen with massive rink coverage and some of the most passionate artistry and interpretation. And what about the stunning theatricality of her outfit and makeup and the way it factored into the dramatic impression along with her dynamic expressions, which along with her underscoring has been mentioned many times under her videos? And now that I know her results are one of the reasons for Mao's retirement, there is just too much of a disconnect between that kind of great skating and expression and acceptance of a biased system of preference that denigrates such qualities, which is why I am now a rebel against the system. I feel that Mao has given me some of the greatest works of performance art I have ever seen in any medium and expressed it with every ounce of her being and even sacrificed the health of her body and suffered through injury to do it.

She has endured harsh criticism from announcers and newspapers that were often biased against her, including someone yelling loudly at her from the stands as she did her second triple axel during her World 2009 LP performance, which could clearly be heard over the music and caused her to fall with no recourse to justice or acknowledgement from the announcers or press. The JSF denied Mao's team's request to prepare for the individual Sochi competition in Japan first and then refused her team's request to go to Moscow with excellent training conditions; and instead forced her to prepare for the Sochi individual competition in a sandy and very cold rink in Amenia, where her blades had to be sharpened which is highly unusual and where the elevation is much higher than sea level in Sochi requiring getting accustomed to the lack of oxygen. All of which resulted in great difficulty training. The JSF also forced her to skate in the team event in early February after she had just recovered from back pain after Nationals in mid January, giving her even less time to train and focus when the Japanese team had a low percentage chance of medalling. Then, to top it off the foot and mouth former Japanese PM had the nerve to publicly ridicule her after all this poor treatment by the JSF was a contributing cause to her difficulty in her SP. Yet, after all this Mao was still able to give what I think is the greatest Olympic performance I have ever seen and to me worth more than a gold medal because it is more extraordinary. Then, the fact Mao's most watched video of her Sochi LP was taken down by the IOC once it reached close to 3 million views while other performances were allowed to remain shows the desperate attempts to numerically manipulate both scores and view counts. Mao has endured and accomplished all this and more without complaint and with graciousness, while suffering through a lot of underscoring and extra intense scrutiny for what she delivered, so I feel I owe her a defense in return.

That said, watching exhibitions has become more and more enjoyable for me and I certainly hope that Mao can continue to share her expression and passion in this medium free of the system. But whatever she decides is fine, because she has done far more than enough.
 
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Mao, your performances spoke to and opened my soul to a spectrum of emotions I had never known: like a great rainbow whose bright beauty streams from rain your passionate expression and athleticism portray the contrast between the dark and light sides of life in all its magnificent grandeur, which is why you are my favorite skater ever.
 
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