Special page about Vancouver 2010

March 3rd, 2010 Mao carried to flag for Japan at the Olympic closing ceremonies! Here's a video of her during this wonderful moment!
February 27th, 2009 CONGRATULATION MAO, YOU ARE NOW AN OLYMPIC SILVER MEDALIST!! She ended up with 205.50 points which is awesome! She also will be featuring in the Guiness Records books for behing the first women to ever land three 3axels in one competition! You made history Mao! Congrats again!! Next Stop, The Worlds Championships in Torino, Italy in about 3 weeks! You can find pictures here Sadly, there is not any video on youtube yet. As soon as I find one, I'll make sure to let you all know! I also want to point out Yu-Na Kim's wonderful performance in the long program, she really deserves the gold. Also, Joannie Rochette, who lost her mom a few days ago, gave an inspiring performance in the long program showing how strong she is. As a canadian myself, I was moved by her courage. Joannie's medal in such a big accomplishment. So, tonight, there will be the exhibition gala, and we are really looking foward to see everyone have fun together and celebreting the Vancouver Olympic Games one last time all together!
Interview of Mao with her Sister Mai after the medals ceremony!
February 24th, 2010 Mao skated her SP Yesterday! It was brilliant! She received a season best score of 73,78!! Nailing a wonderful 3axel-2toe combinaison with a 3flip out of steps, she managed to enjoy her performance with a big smile! Yu Na Kim gave a really strong performance and came first with 78,50. Joannie Rochette was inspiring with an emotional performance and came third with 71,36. Mao will skate fourth in the last group on tomorrow's free skate! Please, keep cheering for her!
The 2010 Olympics in Vancouver are approching! Stay tuned on this page for the latest news about Mao and the Olympics!	Flash Countdown
February 12th, 2009 Mao Asada can imagine a warm welcome scene In the central part of Canada's Vancouver in front of a museum, there is a countdown clock counting down the days until the Opening Ceremony of the Olympics. On the 7th, the day after finishing the free program at the Four Continents Championship, the clock that Mao Asada looked at had "370 days" left. In the spring of 2007, Mao visited this city for the first time to perform in an ice show. "At that time, it was about 1000 days. Wow, that was fast, I thought. At the time of the Torino Olympics, I had thought, there's still four years left." Last time - the 2006 Torino Olympics. The 15-year old who won that season's Grand Prix Final couldn't compete because of the age limit. According to the rule that competitors have to be 15-years old by July 1st in the previous year, Mao was just about 3 months too young. There were some who argued for a "special exemption." Mao had looked up to a 15-year old Olympic gold medalist - the 1998 Nagano Olympics gold medalist, Tara Lipinski. The 147cm-tall girl who landed triple-triple combinations and other difficult jumps with ease. That was when Mao started to become engrossed in figure skating. "She was small, she was cute. I want to be like that," she thought. If she had been able to go to the Torino Olympics, just like Lipinski...? "I knew from when I was young that I wouldn't be able to go, so I didn't really pay attention to what people around me were saying. If I had been able to go to Torino? I don't know. If I didn't do it at that time, I can't know. [ie, I didn't get to try it then, so I can't say]" She saw Shizuka Arakawa's gold medal on TV. "To bring out your very best on the Olympic stage is amazing. While I was watching, I wondered (and worried) if I had it in me to do that." From that point, three years have passed. At the test competition held at the Olympic venue, the Four Continents Championship, she finished 3rd. For last season's World champion and this season's Grand Prix Final champion, the 18-year old queen, it was an unfitting result. "It was not my best condition, and I didn't feel very confident like I usually do." Physical condition, mind, technique---if you can't match everything perfectly, then it's difficult to win every competition on the international level. Of course, next year's Olympics will be the same way. "My mental preparation [literally "heart preparation"] is done. To say it's 'done,' well, every year I think the same way, but I've put the Olympics in my thoughts just a little bit. It's difficult, expressing what I mean. If you try too hard, then you can get injured. I think the Olympics is the most important stage, but I don't want to focus only on the Olympics. If I focus too much on it, then I don't think I'll be able to give a good performance," she warns herself. The middle school student who was called a genius girl becomes a college student starting this spring. She has the confidence of someone who has overcome the difficult years of growing taller and having trouble finding the balance while jumping, someone has battled with the top skaters in the world. While giving an embarrassed smile, she says, "I can imagine myself in a year's time." From the waiting room to the rink, there is a straight pathway about 20 meters long. She will pass through there, be engulfed by a warm welcome, and enter the white rink. "I hope to give my very best performance. Everything I have done up until now, I want to bring out with no regrets." (Written by Takeshi Sakagami.) ---THANKS A LOT TO Batsuchan for the translation FROM BALLERINA ON ICE!---