Mao: post-Sochi news and articles

Skate Guard Interview With Kevin Reynolds

http://skateguard1.blogspot.ca/#!/2014/07/interview-with-kevin-reynolds.html
https://www.facebook.com/SkateGuard

Q: Who are your three favourite skaters of all time and why?

A: : As a kid, I looked up to Evgeni Plushenko for his competitive spirit,
jump technique, and desire to push the technical envelope. It was exciting
and inspiring to watch the rivalry he had with Alexei Yagudin, and this
motivated me even further to reach the top level. I never got to see her
skate live, but I was in awe when watching videos of Midori Ito and I still
am! She had an incredible amount of power to her skating, and of course, had
a fantastic jumping ability. Her desire to succeed in the face of all odds
inspired me as well. I also enjoy watching Mao Asada perform. Not only does
she push the technical envelope, but she performs beautifully as well.  


When Kevin met Mao ... in their  Junior days   

Thanks for the post silenceisgolden. It's good to know that Mao is so well respected by skaters like Kevin Reynolds and Evgeni Plushenko.  I heard that Tara Lipinski said she thought Mao had the most memorable performance at Sochi, which must have made Mao feel wonderful because I have read that Mao really looked up to Lipinski when she was a young skater.

Here, the Canadian Elvis Stojko, two time Olympic silver medalist and 3 time world champion, states that Mao Asada was "hands down" the biggest star at Sochi.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8M98el0qxo

Unfortunately, saphiresky, your video is now blocked on youtube. Thanks anyway.   


For inskate,

I noticed your response to carneasada's post at goldenskate under the Marin Honda thread.

http://www.goldenskate.com/forum/showthread.php?51358-Marin-Honda-looking-promising/page3

CarneAsada wrote: Asada landed her first 3A at age 12 and did 3F-3Lo for years, and no one is asking about how hazardous it was to her growing body.

You wrote:  Some people were complaining for years!  Curiously enough, both Mao and Miki (or rather, their coaches) said that the most damaging thing they did to their bodies was doing too many Biellmans when they were young. They both ended up with chronic back injuries because of that, and towards the later part of their careers they both mentioned that practising spins was more painful/difficult than practising jumps. One combo that didn't work for Mao was 3L-3L - she could land it and had planned to put it in her programs post-Vancouver, but it aggravated her back injury.

This comment made me sad because I didn't know Mao had been suffering from back pain for that long and that it was chronic. I did hear that she had recently started getting back pain off and on for the last season or two. Could you please tell us where you found this information.

It did seem like she was in pain during some of her spins at Sochi, particularly. That's one thing that made the performance so overwhelming  emotionally for me: the sense that she was a resilient warrior battling through her emotional and physical pain to give the audience such a perfect performance. I wonder if she is still paying the price for the most beautiful Biellmann I have even seen: the one handed Biellmann she did with black gloves in Bells of Moscow: the position with her hand rested against her chest must give a lot less stability than using two hands or even less than extending her free hand downward, as she did in her one handed Biellmann when she was about 15 or 16.  I also noticed that she didn't include her Biellmann in her exhbition program "This Little Light of Mine" in the The Ice. Do you think this injury could be one of the main reasons she is taking the next season off to rest her back?

I thought the main reasons for her lay off and possible retirement were most likely a combination of mental fatigue from the biased judging in general, the fact that it is pointless with the next Olympics in South Korea (what are the chances of her winning there with all the animosity towards her as "Kim's rival" even if she did skate perfectly, just like she couldn't have won in Russia or even in Vancouver with the slanted judging panel; and she has always seemed Olympics based in her approach). Also, I thought she may retire because in her own words she is worn out from the stress of competition and wants to do other things in life, and because of her sense of completion and satisfaction since she gave the best freeskate and best overall performance in her career (SP and LP) in her last 3 skates of the season.  Honestly, I am more comfortable thinking she has retired, and then if she comes back it will be like a wonderful surprise. It's easier for me to deal with. But, if she is really experiencing this much pain, I hope she retires. She has already given me so much- much more than any Olympic champion ever has.

How do the rest of you feel about all of this? It would be interesting to know.

Here is some more information confirming how great people though Mao's performances were this last season. I know it's old, so I hope at least some of it hasn't been posted

David Lease (an American) who hosts the popular online skating program, The Skating Lesson, said  that "Mao Asada gave the performance of the night at the Olympics" and "To me that was the moment of the Olympics." He also said, "It was what we want in the Olympic champion and that is everything you could want in a champion." The co-host also said, "That to me was the program of this whole Olympics." and, "When I watched it again, I got emotional just like a big silly baby." The part where they discuss Mao is from
about 18:00-19:00.

http://www.theskatinglesson.com/tsls...-ladies-recap/

David Lease from The Skating Lesson was also very impressed with Mao's performances at Worlds. You can listen from about 48:00 - 49:30.

http://www.theskatinglesson.com/tsls...onships-recap/


Here are some other links Mao fans may be interested in from the archives at goldenskate.

The first is called the Oscars for Figure Skating for the season 2013-2014, in which Mao wins the voting for best Free Program (her LP at Sochi) and best SP (GP and Worlds) by a wide margin from posters at the thread.

http://www.goldenskate.com/forum/sho...ting-2013-2014


This next thread is posters describing their feelings about Mao's SP and LP at Sochi. It is very emotional and spans the full spectrum from sadness and dejection to overwhelming jubilation. It's really an experience to read from beginning to end.

http://www.goldenskate.com/forum/sho...c-Thread/page4

I think the next two have already been posted somewhere at this site, but I can't find them:

Here is an article entitled "Simply Beautiful" written by a journalist who was at Sochi and based his title on his description of Mao's Freeskate, which he thought was the best. The part about Mao is near the middle of the article based on skating order.

http://www.sportsonearth.com/article...m-gold#!btWDcA


Here is another article entitled "Japan’s Mao Asada Steals the Spotlight in Ladies Free Skate"

http://www.rantsports.com/clubhouse/...es-free-skate/

Sorry I am hogging the site with so many posts, but I thought you might be interested in another poll from goldenskate. You can find it at:
http://www.goldenskate.com/forum/showthread.php?50412-Your-five-favorites-of-all-time-in-each-discipline

The top five in each discipline of all time

The top 6 for women are:
1. Michelle Kwan appears in 32 lists
2. Mao Asada  30
3. Yuna Kim  26
4. Midori Ito 16
5. Sasha Cohen  15
6. Carolina Kostner  14

Isn't it ironic that 5 out of the top 6 including the the top 2 have never won a Gold medal at the Olympics?
Mao comes out ahead of Kim in these numbers when she is set free of PCS, urs and GOE.

Here's one more poll from the closet of goldenskate in the wake of Sochi:

http://www.goldenskate.com/forum/showthread.php?49712-If-you-could-only-watch-10-FS-programs-for-the-rest-of-your-life-which-would-you-choose

The results for the poll If You Could Watch only 10 FS Programs for the rest of your life which would you choose:

1. Michelle Kwan Lyrica Angelica                    12   Nationals and other
2. Mao Asada Rochmaninoff  2 1st movement    9   Sochi
3. Chen Lu Rochmaninoff     2  2nd movement    5   Worlds 1996
4. Kostner Bolero                                          5    Sochi
5. Sasha Cohen Romeo and Juliet                     5   2006
6. Oksana Bauil  Swan Lake                            4   1994 Olympics
7. Yulia Lipnitskaya Schindler's List                   4  Team Olympics or Europeans

Yagudin and Takahashi have quite a few as well. To be honest, I was upset that Plushenko didn't have any ranked higher because he is my favorite male and I think of him as a spiritual soul mate of Mao. Testing the technical boundaries while wearing his on his heart sleeve like her and defending and praising her at every turn. Even doing the Biellmann. I think a lot of her "passionate Russian soul" that we see in Bells, Roch 2 and Swan Lake was inspired by him. Besides, she is studying Russian in university.

There are many at 3 including Mao's Czardas, Kim's Gershwin and Kim's Les Miserables among others. I love that Chen Lu who skated to Roch 2 in 1996 was announcing in China when Mao gave her performance of the same concerto in Sochi. Chen Lu's performance is also one of my favorite LPs. But of course, Mao's Roch 2 is my all time favorite.

The 1st and 2nd place freeskates by Sotnikova and Kim at Sochi are not even mentioned in the poll.

To be honest, I was upset that Plushenko didn't have any ranked higher because he is my favorite male and I think of him as a spiritual soul mate of Mao. Testing the technical boundaries while wearing his on his heart sleeve like her and defending and praising her at every turn. Even doing the Biellmann. I think a lot of her "passionate Russian soul" that we see in Bells, Roch 2 and Swan Lake was inspired by him. Besides, she is studying Russian in university.

I am also upset that Midori Ito doesn't have any program near the top. She makes me cry watching her more than any other skater other than Mao and was often underscored like Mao. They are kindred spirits. And Ito's 3rd place finish in the LP at Calgary 1988 allowing Katarina Witt to win her second gold was an utter travesty just as Mao's 3rd place finish in the LP at Sochi was.

Notice the comments below this video about the judging and how similar they are to comments about Mao from Sochi:

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

WowMao wrote:

Thanks for the post silenceisgolden. It's good to know that Mao is so well respected by skaters like Kevin Reynolds and Evgeni Plushenko.  I heard that Tara Lipinski said she thought Mao had the most memorable performance at Sochi, which must have made Mao feel wonderful because I have read that Mao really looked up to Lipinski when she was a young skater.

Here, the Canadian Elvis Stojko, two time Olympic silver medalist and 3 time world champion, states that Mao Asada was "hands down" the biggest star at Sochi.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8M98el0qxo

Unfortunately, saphiresky, your video is now blocked on youtube. Thanks anyway.   


For inskate,

I noticed your response to carneasada's post at goldenskate under the Marin Honda thread.

http://www.goldenskate.com/forum/showthread.php?51358-Marin-Honda-looking-promising/page3

CarneAsada wrote: Asada landed her first 3A at age 12 and did 3F-3Lo for years, and no one is asking about how hazardous it was to her growing body.

You wrote:  Some people were complaining for years!  Curiously enough, both Mao and Miki (or rather, their coaches) said that the most damaging thing they did to their bodies was doing too many Biellmans when they were young. They both ended up with chronic back injuries because of that, and towards the later part of their careers they both mentioned that practising spins was more painful/difficult than practising jumps. One combo that didn't work for Mao was 3L-3L - she could land it and had planned to put it in her programs post-Vancouver, but it aggravated her back injury.

This comment made me sad because I didn't know Mao had been suffering from back pain for that long and that it was chronic. I did hear that she had recently started getting back pain off and on for the last season or two. Could you please tell us where you found this information.

It did seem like she was in pain during some of her spins at Sochi, particularly. That's one thing that made the performance so overwhelming  emotionally for me: the sense that she was a resilient warrior battling through her emotional and physical pain to give the audience such a perfect performance. I wonder if she is still paying the price for the most beautiful Biellmann I have even seen: the one handed Biellmann she did with black gloves in Bells of Moscow: the position with her hand rested against her chest must give a lot less stability than using two hands or even less than extending her free hand downward, as she did in her one handed Biellmann when she was about 15 or 16.  I also noticed that she didn't include her Biellmann in her exhbition program "This Little Light of Mine" in the The Ice. Do you think this injury could be one of the main reasons she is taking the next season off to rest her back?

I thought the main reasons for her lay off and possible retirement were most likely a combination of mental fatigue from the biased judging in general, the fact that it is pointless with the next Olympics in South Korea (what are the chances of her winning there with all the animosity towards her as "Kim's rival" even if she did skate perfectly, just like she couldn't have won in Russia or even in Vancouver with the slanted judging panel; and she has always seemed Olympics based in her approach). Also, I thought she may retire because in her own words she is worn out from the stress of competition and wants to do other things in life, and because of her sense of completion and satisfaction since she gave the best freeskate and best overall performance in her career (SP and LP) in her last 3 skates of the season.  Honestly, I am more comfortable thinking she has retired, and then if she comes back it will be like a wonderful surprise. It's easier for me to deal with. But, if she is really experiencing this much pain, I hope she retires. She has already given me so much- much more than any Olympic champion ever has.

How do the rest of you feel about all of this? It would be interesting to know.

Thanks for collecting all these, it's interesting to look at them, I agree with you about the reasons behind her lay off, when you have pushed yourself to the absolute limit time after time and despite that see the judges snub you, it's no wonder she is mentally tired from all this. she really needed a break, she has endured alot, and been pushing her body more than any other skater. I think taking a break was fully understandable, and I know I am selfish but I really want to see her return and continue. I may be selfish thinking like that, but she brings soo much joy and is such an exciting and uniq skater to follow. If she can find new motivation and drive to compete again I would be soo thrilled.
and during Mao's break I hope she will attend many shows, so that we can see her, from time to time.

ballerinamao wrote:

WowMao wrote:

Thanks for the post silenceisgolden. It's good to know that Mao is so well respected by skaters like Kevin Reynolds and Evgeni Plushenko.  I heard that Tara Lipinski said she thought Mao had the most memorable performance at Sochi, which must have made Mao feel wonderful because I have read that Mao really looked up to Lipinski when she was a young skater.

Here, the Canadian Elvis Stojko, two time Olympic silver medalist and 3 time world champion, states that Mao Asada was "hands down" the biggest star at Sochi.


This comment made me sad because I didn't know Mao had been suffering from back pain for that long and that it was chronic. I did hear that she had recently started getting back pain off and on for the last season or two. Could you please tell us where you found this information.

It did seem like she was in pain during some of her spins at Sochi, particularly. That's one thing that made the performance so overwhelming  emotionally for me: the sense that she was a resilient warrior battling through her emotional and physical pain to give the audience such a perfect performance. I wonder if she is still paying the price for the most beautiful Biellmann I have even seen: the one handed Biellmann she did with black gloves in Bells of Moscow: the position with her hand rested against her chest must give a lot less stability than using two hands or even less than extending her free hand downward, as she did in her one handed Biellmann when she was about 15 or 16.  I also noticed that she didn't include her Biellmann in her exhbition program "This Little Light of Mine" in the The Ice. Do you think this injury could be one of the main reasons she is taking the next season off to rest her back?

I thought the main reasons for her lay off and possible retirement were most likely a combination of mental fatigue from the biased judging in general, the fact that it is pointless with the next Olympics in South Korea (what are the chances of her winning there with all the animosity towards her as "Kim's rival" even if she did skate perfectly, just like she couldn't have won in Russia or even in Vancouver with the slanted judging panel; and she has always seemed Olympics based in her approach). Also, I thought she may retire because in her own words she is worn out from the stress of competition and wants to do other things in life, and because of her sense of completion and satisfaction since she gave the best freeskate and best overall performance in her career (SP and LP) in her last 3 skates of the season.  Honestly, I am more comfortable thinking she has retired, and then if she comes back it will be like a wonderful surprise. It's easier for me to deal with. But, if she is really experiencing this much pain, I hope she retires. She has already given me so much- much more than any Olympic champion ever has.

How do the rest of you feel about all of this? It would be interesting to know.

Thanks for collecting all these, it's interesting to look at them,  I agree with you about the reasons behind her lay off,  when you have pushed yourself to the absolute limit time after time and despite that see the judges snub you, it's no wonder she is mentally tired from all this. she really needed a break, she has endured alot, and been pushing her body more than any other skater. I think taking a break was fully understandable, and I know I am selfish but I really want to see her return and continue. I may be selfish thinking like that, but she brings soo much joy and is such an exciting and uniq skater to follow. If she can find new motivation and drive to compete again I would be soo thrilled.
and during Mao's break I hope she will attend many shows, so that we can see her, from time to time.

Wowmao, thanx so much for all this links. Mao's Sochi FS was trully magical, and not just to us, her fans, but to so many other figure skating fans. The reaction ot twitter after Mao's historical FS, was simply amazing. She relly blew everyone away. I still can't watch that performance without crying a little (needless to say, during her Sochi FS, I was litterally sobbing from her 3F-3Lo onward).

About Mao's injury, in the 2012/2013 season it was so bad that at times, Mao didn't "feel her legs" while skating. I don't know though if that was because of the back injury, or whether it was caused by something else, but she was in a lot of pain. During her Swan Lake FS you can see the pain on her face when she was doing the Bielman (I think it was at WTT), not that it showed in the spin. She did it like it's the easiest thing to do.   

@ballerinamao, I completely agree. The selfish part in me wishes she'd return to competition as well. However, ONLY if she's injury free, and if she doesn't care about olympic gold medal. Because like WowMao said, there is no way the judges will give it to her. And looking at the new rules (harsher punishment for twofooting the jumps and for UR's) it seems as if the new rules were designed against Mao. I know they probably weren't, but it feels like they were.

^ I think expecting her to continue without caring about the OG would be an impossible expectation when the skater has won every title there is from junior to senior several times, ofcourse the gold medal will be on her mind, but let's hope it's not the only motivation and reason for her to stay.

真央、京都で舞妓（まいこ）体験！


Add: photos from official website



Ima was at the EX of Takashimaya

Thank you for the beautiful photos CONK. I remember a quote made at youtube one time that said, "When I see Mao skate,  I think of Japan, when I see Kim skate, I think of America." Even though I am an American, I see this as a compliment because Mao shows that she is authentically Japanese in her performances just as she does in these pictures, while combining this genuineness with inspiration from other cultures, especially Russia. Another thing I find compelling about Mao is that she expresses the mysteriousness and refined subtlety of the Far East through her skating, while also being the consummate embodiment of feminine athleticism and elegance.         

I just wanted to share one really wonderful quote I just found about Mao's Sochi performance. Sorry if I am still stuck on that performance, but some of the most beautiful and truthful writing I have ever read or sought to express myself was inspired by that performance.

The odd thing is that such beauty in expression came in response to insulting remarks made by a Kim fan. From the ugliness sprung a golden nugget.   

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dbq6VHRHUfM     User: red clouds
written 11 hours ago 11 часов назад

I think every true figure skating fan recognizes what Mao Asada and this skate especially symbolizes to the sport. For many people, this skate was the moment when the magic that we all expect at the Olympics happened. There's so many wrong things with the judging system in figure skating, honestly I don't think any 'couple of numbers'  can evaluate what Mao did,  This will be forever the most inspiring free skate in ladies figure skating, and belongs more to history than a lot of medal winning skates. Some things go beyond world records, technicalities, medals or prestige. I'm tired of supposed 'perfect techniques", GOE's, UR's, PCS, politicking. This skate was a breath of fresh air, finally someone could capture perfectly the essence of figure skating and sports in general.  This was the kind of purely  'perfection' that Mao displayed that night.

WowMao wrote:

Thank you for the beautiful photos CONK

I just wanted to share one really wonderful quote I just found about Mao's Sochi performance. Sorry if I am still stuck on that performance, but some of the most beautiful and truthful writing I have ever read or sought to express myself was inspired by that performance.

The odd thing is that such beauty in expression came in response to insulting remarks made by a Kim fan. Out of the ugliness a golden nugget appeared.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dbq6VHRHUfM     User: red clouds
written 11 hours ago 11 часов назад

I think every true figure skating fan recognizes what Mao Asada and this skate especially symbolizes to the sport. For many people, this skate was the moment when the magic that we all expect at the Olympics happened. There's so many wrong things with the judging system in figure skating, honestly I don't think any 'couple of numbers'  can evaluate what Mao did,  This will be forever the most inspiring free skate in ladies figure skating, and belongs more to history than a lot of medal winning skates. Some things go beyond world records, technicalities, medals or prestige. I'm tired of supposed 'perfect techniques", GOE's, UR's, PCS, politicking. This skate was a breath of fresh air, finally someone could capture perfectly the essence of figure skating and sports in general.  This was the kind of purely  'perfection' that Mao displayed that night.

I totally agree wowmao, Mao's skate overshadowed everything at the games, even the mens medalist she put to shame after that performance. I also feel that it perfectly captured the essence of figure skating, just like I have felt about many of Mao's past performances. because they are the perfect combination of athleticism and artistry. as a woman I can't describe how proud i am, to see a skater reach new heights time after time, and push the technical boundaries despite despite the little reward and respect she got in return from the judges. but in the end the skater will be measured by her ability, accomplishments and performances during her career. In the end Mao proved you don't have to be favored to have tremendous success. talent, determination, and hard work will carve the way.

Here is an interesting post from rosewood, with more links for Mao's pictures in traditional dress, at fsuniverse She looks really beautiful!:

http://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/showthread.php?89260-MAO-CHEER-THREAD-starting-on-her-23rd-BD-lt-3/page22&s=c62f2561fd939813e2e028deb4afa0a0

As I posted earlier on this thread Kyoto is the last stop for Mao's exhibition whose first stop started in April.　Her exhibition has drawn over 580,000 people in total since then. The great point of the number is that April was the first month when consumer tax increased from 5% to 8% in Japan. Takashimaya which is one of the biggest and old established department store company made it to hold Mao's exhibition to draw people to their stores during the tough time for them due to the increase of the consumer tax. Surprisingly big number of people visited Takashimaya stores and it was helpful for the company to do well in their business even though other companies faced downturn.

Anyway, her exhibition in Kyoto started yesterday. Mao unexpectedly appeared in the opening ceremony. Kyoto used to be the capital of Japan long time ago and it's one of the cities which has the traditional life still now. Mao experienced being in the maiko costume. Never say geisha, it's maiko! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maiko Maikos live mostly, or only in Kyoto. Everything-their costumes/accessories/goods etc-have meanings based on traditional culture. I'm so excited since everything she's wearing in the photos is the real one, nothing fake. And everything is so expensive, just wow. Her photos in maiko style are exhibited in Kyoto as well.

http://www.sanspo.com/sports/photos/...020001-p1.html
http://maimao-asada.com/blog_mao/wp-.../08/0805_2.jpg
http://pbs.twimg.com/media/BuQ_telCUAEfzuJ.jpg
http://p.twpl.jp/show/large/JKtx4?.jpg
http://www.zakzak.co.jp/sports/etc_s...1150002-p4.htm
http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20...#contents-body

Reportedly Mao experienced a bit of Japanese traditional dance in the costume.Love the photo in which she does postures of the traditional dance.

Here are some more links. I have trouble viewing them where I am, but hopefully you will have more luck than me.    

Originally Posted by mary01  View Post  http://www.goldenskate.com/forum/showthread.php?38067-Mao-Asada&p=967227#post967227
just found this, Mao looks like a geisha, I don't know what this event was about, but just wanted to share it with you guys:

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x22...a0513140726261

this is part 2

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x22...264cd140726293

If they are blocked, you can find some videos here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cliIhr2yTY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooZCELgCD5Q



Mao is such a beautiful woman in these pictures.
The warmth and tenderness in her eyes and smile always hits me with such stupefying surprise. The windows to her beautiful and mysterious soul are always wide open even to those who do not know her. That is why I believe she has such a facility for making others feel they know her intimately (1). Power, poignancy, vulnerability and resiliency. To me, she will go down in history as the female skater who can weave the most intricate tapestry of athletic skills and emotional resonance that rings in harmony like a delicately picked chord on a guitar string synchronized with the pulsating pounding on piano keys. Her resolution of opposites is what make her such a compelling composite.

Form an earlier post:
Mao knits enigmas in elaborate quilts that entice
But unravelling them with definitions does not suffice
for then all her enchantments will vaporize.

Note: (1) Here intimately means to know someone well like a close personal friend or member of the family.

Thank you zarinaballerina for your comments about Mao's injuries and Ballerinamao thank you for your posts about Mao's wonderful achievements.  

WowMao wrote:

Again, sorry to be making so many posts in a row, but after visiting many Mao videos I became all too aware of how awfully Kim fans have been to Mao on her videos, especially in comparison to Mao fans treatment of Kim on her videos, which is much more respectful as evidenced by the number of likes and dislikes and the far greater number of insulting comments that are posted by Kim Fans, especially considering what I and many others see as Kim's preference with the judges. My question is: How do you deal with this, since it is largely a one way street of insults beneath the videos? I have never stooped to their level because I believe it would make Mao look bad, but it bothers and angers me so much to see her beautiful videos "polluted" with all this biased and petty hate. Even if negative statements are made about Kim by Mao fans, they tend to be more considerate and far fewer in number, so that they come across as not being that negative at all.


The last straw for me came when they began to "pollute" the last copies of Mao's Sochi LP performance on youtube recently.

To be fair, most of this crap isn't posted by Yuna fans, but instead by her blinded worshipers also known as "Yuna bots". Majority of her real fans are OK, they are biased, but so are we (Mao fans). There has always been a lot of hatred directed at anyone who was a threat to their precious queen, and since Mao is achieving things their precious Yuna can only dream about, they try to discredit Mao at every step they can, and when this doesn't work, they restore to name calling and other vile things.

The best example for their behaviour is all the hatred Adelina has to deal with on her instagram. The posts she received by Yuna bots are beyond vile. She's been literally bullied by them for months now. And the thing I find the most despicable is, that Yuna hasn't tried to distance herself from this, or try to make a statement in terms of "I respect the judges' decision and wish Adelina all the best" or some other crap to calm her worshipers down. There is no way she (or her agency) aren't aware of what's been going on. Both Adelina and her coach made the Yuna bots' shenanigans public. Seriously, this girl is losing the little respect that I've had left for her.

I mostly try to ignore all the BS that Mao gets from them, since it's impossible to reason with these people. The other solution would be to report these comments or videos to youtube and they'd be taken down. It's what yuna bots are doing when there's a video that isn't showing their precious in the best light.

Someone collected Yuna's funny photos.
I'm not trying to be mean to her, but couldn't resist copying some of them   




A season without Mao gonna be less attractive to me except Phantom festa at NHK Trophy  

Great pictures silenceisgolden. Who is that skating while facing Kim with her back to the camera? Her build and hair look a little like Mao.

I have decided to just write the best tributes I can to Mao under her videos.

Mao Asada's Olympic performance was magnanimous and packed with epic grandeur like a Shakespearean tragedy with a silver lining-
only the medium of expression was not words, but a multitude of lithe, exquisite positions mixed with sublime spins
and accented with wave-like runs to a string of quick whipsaw jumps that drilled into the deepest depths of my soul.

This vigorous warrior princess set the athletic standard in the ladies' group
by tackling the triple axel together with the combination triple flip and loop.

Mao began her entrance to the axel by offering her open arms and palms to the audience,
lifting them dramatically like curtains slowly rising on a grand stage
to reveal the first act in a role she alone had the capacity to play.
Her unfurled arms veered left using the diagonal width of the rink as a runway.

Then, as she launched into take off, her arms piovted quickly and swung into motion.
She leaned hard into her forward edge: her back straight as a knife blade to cut the tension.
As she sprung into action, she locked her arms elegantly across her chest to spin quickly,
my heart racing in tandem with the rapid revolutions of the tight symmetrical spirals.
Then, she spread her arms out wide,
as her right blade hit clean on the ice.
Meanwhile, the announcer, Tatiana Tarasova, who lovingly called Mao "her little dove,"
made a sudden guttural utterance to release her stress once the jump was wonderfully done.

Then, Mao extended her right arm poignantly towards the crowd
while the axel turned on the switch for her soul to speak outloud.
Between the combo triple flip and loop, her skates just touched the icy surface.
Her winged feet lit for an instant before flitting back into a symmetrical twirling motion.
.
Mao exited her jumps with an undulating flow of her hands, arms, head and back to where the jump had been,
as if waving a final farewell to a forgotten friend or a loved one she would never encounter again.
She lovingly cupped her hands and brushed them gently under her neck,
with an angelic smile lifted to the sky between her broken leg, pancake and flying camel spins.

Her balletic grace was like a mermaid swaying back in forth on one skate
with her limbs displaying the fluidity of seaweed drifting gently on the waves.
Only Mao had the infinite subtlety, complexity and grace
of the Japanese tea ceremony at her fingertips to taste.

As the program progressed, her speed between jumps increased perfectly in sync
with the surge in the music, as it mounted to an ultimate climax and release.
Through the triple lutz, the triple toe / double axel combo and the triple salchow,
she was more than game to run a gauntlet of triples no woman had ever tamed.
I waited with baited breath for an inevitable mistake that never came,
As my mouth grew wider, my eyes started filling with water,
so I crossed my fingers, hoping she'd finish before making an error.

On her entrance to the triple flip / double loop combo, she lifted her arms softly like wings gently soaring before bounding into the air in swift rhythmic flight.

Then, her wave-like flow in every motion that moves the emotions like the moon does the ocean transformed into an abrupt
downward thrust of her arms, as if she struck piano keys on entry to her eighth triple jump.

When the triple loop was done, she flung her right arm back suddenly ridding herself of the melancholy ghosts that haunted the hollowness in her soul. Then, as the blare from the horns swelled, the pounding of the piano crescendoed, and the whine of the violins began to cry, Mao hung suspended in the revolutions of her illusion, sit extension and Biellmann spins.

After this, she plunged into her step sequence, where tears begin to rush as a flooded river. The battling ballerina pranced in frantic freedom, whirling her arms along every trajectory to balance her body, twisting quickly to accelerate the vortex in her pirouettes, then rocking back and forth rapidly in semi-circular turns.
The passion in her face portrayed the beautiful fierceness
of a lovely lioness to the roar of the audience,
as they clapped in time to her nimble quickness.

Next, she leapt into the air with arms and legs outstretched, then tread into a transcendent dimension that exorcised all her Olympic heart aches, grievous mistakes and humiliations to embrace a peak performance that surmounted Everest. She kicked her limber legs over her head, turned upside down and wound round like a windmill. Then, she spun upright making broad, sweeping gestures with her arms and hands, while flashing a wild samurai smile to inspire the crowd. Finally, she dashed through her fan spiral and glided in a wide arc through her arabesque, as she descended back to earth redeemed in the completion of her 4 year mission.
It was the performance she proudly staked her reputation on
when so many thought all hope was gone for her in Sochi.

In her final act, she tried to stand frozen in her last pose looking up nobly
with her right arm folded over her chest to hold in the overwhelming emotion.
At that moment, I pictured her facing heavenward
to dedicate her amazing triumph to the dear spirit of her mother
while whispering, "I did this all, including the triple axel, just for you. Mom, How did I do?"

During this dedication I conceived, she started sobbing uncontrollably, and her head and arms began to shake, then dropped down as she faced away. A platinum worthy performance tinged with the question of "What could be?" but for the SP tragedy brought bittersweet tears to her and a host of those from all over the globe. With a nod of the head, she braced herself to face the fond applause from the audience. Her arms opened wide and her tears metamorphosized into a bright, beaming smile as Mao, the Ballerina Phoenix, arose to show joyous relief in her glorious achievement.

Thank you Mao Asada for digging deep to reveal the full beauty, purity and resiliency of your brave athletic spirit.
It is the most complete performance I have ever seen. It moved my emotions like the moon does the sea because you did it so naturally.

WowMao wrote:

Here is a video I found at youtube where a poster shows what he claims are Kim's ur's

I made the video. A conversation about it is on page 28.
Underrotations exist in physical space-time, they are measurable. These jumps were brought to my attention and vetted by several jump / tech specialists, there really are 3 URs.The two 3S are also probably UR. Even her Vancouver LP has UR, and if called would have cost her gold. Underrotation is "worse" than a fully-rotated fall (under this system), so it is like she fell three times and Lakernik looked the other way.

Yuna is NOT a truly great skater - she is only good enough to appear great with hype and hyperinflation. She is so inferior and undeserving of a medal, that not only does she skate one less triple than everyone else, she cannot even land half of them. If Yuna is so good, why is her program the 9th hardest? If Adelina is so bad, why is her program the 2nd hardest? - and she actually skated cleaner!
Why should the champion be the easiest program with the most mistakes?

Yuna Kim is Ottavio Cinquanta's personal pet favorite, that is why no one is "allowed" to win against her.

Kim was the biggest beneficiary of corruption in Sochi. If the competition were completely fair to begin with, her 9th place underrotated technical content would have never had a chance to medal! A program already missing a triple cannot withstand mistakes!

WowMao wrote:

I was even more upset by Sotnikova's scores

Russian PCS was inflated only so there wouldn't be an embarrassing 23 point gap like Vancouver.
Kim is the justification for more inflation, to level the playing field!

Sotnikova's performing style resembles Plushenko's Sochi LP. No one has to like her style, but everyone must acknowledge that her technical achievement is 2nd only Mao's. Her Tech marks are mostly correct. Her score dwarfs her prior bests, because she never landed more than 4-5 triples in any program in her life, and this was 7. Sotni is the physically strongest jumper, legitimately earning +3s with Midori-like height and complicated entrances.
Why should the judges do to Adelina's tech scores, what they did to Mao?

Yuna was 100% rigged to win Sochi - she was by far the worst cheater; In that sense, Adelina is a hero and her performance a miracle. It was never supposed to happen, the ONE clean LP of her entire life aligned with the biggest event - she skated something so difficult it FORCED the system to give it to her, and rightfully defeated the cheater.

Impossible to justify the 2nd hardest program ranking below the 9th, it would not be a real sport.
The true controversy is that there even is a controversy: What is so controversial about 7 triples outscoring 6 - the opposite outcome would be riot-worthy. Controversy is the *9th hardest* program medalling with half it's triples underrotated.

WowMao wrote:

... I became all too aware of how awfully Kim fans have been to Mao on her videos...

zarinaballerina wrote:

There has always been a lot of hatred directed at anyone who was a threat to their precious queen

This is the explanation for why things are the way they are:

Kim started the hate.
Japan denies obstructing SKorea's skating star Kim, AFP, 2009
The Japanese federation said it had been "very embarrassed by the reports" but wanted to deal with the issue on the basis of "relations of friendship and trust" it had built with the Korean union and Kim.
Asada and her teammates Fumie Suguri and Akiko Suzuki competed at the Four Continents at Vancouver's Pacific Coliseum. …
Without naming names, (Kim) said the interruption was particularly evident at the Four Continents and she was "trying to find a way to deal with it."
A voice-over said it was always Japanese skaters that crossed Kim's path.
Korean and Japanese media reported that it was Kim herself who pointed the finger at Japan. …
"If this situation continues, we may have to lodge a protest," (Her agent) added.
The Chosun Ilbo, 2009
On reports of Kim saying her practices had been obstructed by a number of rival skaters, Asada told Japanese media that such international spoiling tactics are impossible.

The only close skating friend Yuna ever had was Mao Asada, and she stabbed her in the back slandering "Japanese Skaters".

It is obviously a lie, but even if it were hypothetically true: Why didn't Kim just tell Mao she felt obstructed? Kim went directly to the international press with her "big story" that "Japanese" skaters were "obstructing" her, without even talking to those skaters or coaches in the same room; how was anyone supposed to even know they were "obstructing" if she didn't tell them?! If there were a problem it would be solved by talking to the people involved and not the media - proving there could not have been a problem.

Kim defamed Mao. She made ridiculous false accusations against Japanese skaters. Her lies conjured the tsunami of hate.

This is what it was like before Yuna's criminal slander:
(2008 GPF, Goyang Korea)

And this is what it was like after:
(2014 Olympics, Sochi)


Yuna is the worst offender of what she falsely accuses others.
A hidden camera captured this gem in Vancouver practice, when she thought no one was watching:

Mao is in costume, it is her run-through and everyone else must yield to her.
Look who is running her off the rink and forcing her to scrunch herself up to barely avoid crashing, almost cutting her leg. One freak accident and Mao could be robbed of everything she lives for. Buzzing Mao, grazing her ankle with her blade - this is psycho stuff. It's amazing Mao could give such a great performance, when she could barely practice it properly, and so unnerved. So not only is Kim verbally abusive, she is also physically a bully - in any other context it is practically assault.

She lied about skaters obstructing her, while she herself recklessly obstructs skaters!

Kim started the taunting of Mao.
Here she is on an idiotic South Korean "comedy" show making fun of Mao, and not the only time she has done this.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhhYIMufYAA
The Little Yunabots taunt Mao because that's what the Big Yunabot does on screen!

As she turned on her friend, she turned on the one who made her everything she is:
This is how she tells her coach she is leaving: By bashing the man on Twitter.

Kim, Orser split; Olympic champion's coach feels insulted and disrespected - LA Times, 2010
"It was a series of insults," Orser said Tuesday morning via telephone. "I deserved more respect." … Orser said he never was given a reason for the split.

Who does this? What she did to Orser proves she uses social media to bully people. She made the bullying as loud as possible to incite a virtual lynchmob.

Since there is evidence of her cyberbullying, how many insulting internet comments are Yuna herself behind a sock account? Every anonymous comment bullying skaters and coaches is potentially written by her - at minimum incited.

This is Kim's dark legacy.
The Little Yunabots cyberbully because that's what the Big Yunabot does!

zarinaballerina wrote:

The best example for their behaviour is all the hatred Adelina has to deal with on her instagram. The posts she received by Yuna bots are beyond vile. She's been literally bullied by them for months now. And the thing I find the most despicable is, that Yuna hasn't tried to distance herself from this, or try to make a statement in terms of "I respect the judges' decision and wish Adelina all the best" or some other crap to calm her worshipers down. There is no way she (or her agency) aren't aware of what's been going on. Both Adelina and her coach made the Yuna bots' shenanigans public. Seriously, this girl is losing the little respect that I've had left for her.

Why? This is what she wants! Normal people are sickened by death threats in their name, and speak out against it!

Compare Mirai:
icenetwork.com - 4-3-14
She also made a point of texting Ashley Wagner, who some felt should have been left off the Olympic team in favor of Nagasu, to wish her good luck.

"I felt really bad for her," Nagasu said. "I really appreciate that the fans were there for me, but I felt that if I were in her situation, I would want someone to support me. No one deserves a death message."

Mirai is a good, normal person. Yuna is a bad person, a narcissist megalomaniac sociopath. She cannot do the right thing even when it is trivial! She doesn't feel any of this, because it is who she is. This out-of-control monster is destroying lives - literally life and death - all because no one has ever told her NO. She harassed her coach on the biggest soapbox possible, which means her intent was to incite the most hate possible.

If Adelina is driven to suicide, Yuna is fully responsible. Kim cyberbullied her own coach! What she did to Orser proves beyond a reasonable doubt Kim herself is ultimately behind the bullying. She is inciting a mob.

Yuna herself is the worst Yunabot. This woman has scarred innocents, always playing the victim.

WowMao wrote:

Kim does donate to a lot to charities and disaster relief

Who cares! She is inciting aggression, she is slandering, she is bullying - all criminal.
$100M giving $100K is proportionately pennies. All Hollywood and Wall St criminals very loudly give to charity to whitewash their image, that doesn't undo their badness. The biggest criminals have entire "non-profit" "foundations" named after themselves.
Slanderously betraying trusting friends is morally bankrupt.
If Yuna can't treat the people around her humanely, charity has no meaning.
No amount of charity can undo hurting innocents, it can only sugarcoat evil.

I would rather just rest on what I said in my tribute to Mao above. So, I deleted this post.

BelieveInMaoself wrote:

Whole post

Wow, if this was meant seriously, it might have just beaten some of the craziest Yunabots' comments I have read up to this day,
and unfortunately I have read plenty (not saying that only Yunabots write crazy comments).
I have never been particularly fond of Yuna as a skater nor as a person and think she should have handled some situations you mention differently.
I also think there has been a lot of injustice done to Mao and that Yuna was often overscored and overhyped,
but this is a whole new level we are approaching here with this post.

Is this where this forum is heading now that the rivalry is supposed be finally over?

I remember like it was yesterday, when I was getting excited about young Mao in 2005 and while searching for more information about her,
I also visited several other skaters' forums. I was schocked at that time how obsessive and delluded some posters were when it came to their idol and so, when this forum started, I was thinking we will somehow manage to keep it nice and never drop to such level.
Well, I guess it was inevitable. Obviously, it happens everywhere...  

kawaiimao wrote:

but this is a whole new level we are approaching here with this post.

It's not trying to start a flame war or cause any internal conflict in this forum, but I am incredibly infuriated that half a year later the attacks seem to be getting worse, not better. You mentioned that the rivalry is over. I agree. That is why it is so enraging that the attacks and death threats are obviously worsening. Perhaps you will feel similar after it keeps going on 2, 3, 4, years down the line, with no let up.

(Edit: What I wrote is deliberately exaggerated, like a certain Japan Times writer. In case there are misunderstandings. But is based on real events.)

We're all aware that Mao has been subjected to unfair scores in many of her competitions. This seemed to be more apparent when both she and Yuna participated in the same event. Many of our members indeed possess analytical skills that rival panel judges' own. Our member's dissection and analysis of empirical data, at times, seemed nearer the truth than what the official protocol scores indicated.
As far as Yuna is concerned, i agree that the ISU considered her their wunderkind, their uber athlete. Seemed she could do no wrong! And I believe Yuna, (perhaps not by her own volition) influenced them greatly by conducting herself in a manner that was conducive to what the ISU talking heads collectively believe a champion should be. She knew how to manipulate the media, was aware that public perception is polarizing and advanced the ISU's ultimate agenda of restoring legitimacy ( after so many scandals) of Figure Skating in the public's eye. What a package for the sport! The ISU considered her the Grand Dame, the Diva of Ladies' Figure Skating.

What an egregious mistake by the ISU!

Granted Kim was a formidable competitor. Her body of work is impressive. She definitely won't be a side-note in Ladies Figure Skating history. She earned it. However, I can't help but think that the reason she attained such heights and favouritism from Speedy and his gang was because, perhaps, she had much more savvy, accomplished and forward thinking handlers than Mao had in her camp.Let's face it: behind the scenes shenanigans is replete in all sports! Kim became a marketing tool, coached and directed by a group of handlers who knew how to " groom " her for success.. Yuna had no control of it. To further her ascent to the top she had to play the game. Unfortunately, the more deserving and true artist, Mao, was bridled and stymied by the ISU. (Much like the great composer and pianist, Shostakovich, who was hounded by Stalin indirectly accusing his artistry subversive to communist ideology.) Mao similarly suffered unjustly.
Central to all Art ( for I feel Figure Skating is an Art form) is human intervention. As Art, Figure Skating is not representational nor is it abstract. Mao's Art form is Performance. When she is on the ice her performances can be so moving, so surreal and sublime. It is fictive for it does not exist in nature. What it does is it breaks conventions and expectations. Her Art form elevates everyday experiences. It subjugates reality and transforms our sometimes prosaic world into something that is transcending.
Everything has been done on the ice before. Mao finds ways to re-invent it. She has found a way to amalgamate the technical skills and artistic delivery to enthral and impinge on the audiences' emotional and spiritual sensibilities. She ensures that there is no dichotomy in the dualistic nature of her Art form. She makes it whole.She makes it new. She is unimpeachable in this, matched by no one.All the vitriolic and annoyingly strident criticisms directed at Mao's performances should be ignored for there is no room for that. So pedestrian! Grrrr !!!
WowMao, thank you for defending Mao's integrity in hostility filled forums. I've visited some of these and I can not stomach the sheer dislike, bordering on hatred, for her performances and for herself, personally! You are to be commended for your valiant efforts. The world needs more knights in shining armor.

To add to our private correspondences: Perhaps Ophelia's tragic destiny might have been thwarted for the better if she had a protector like you.

First, I would like to thank you again for your posts Wao Mao, they are the reason I signed up.
I was typing a reply to yours and didn't see it deleted.

I also want to say that my earlier post is deliberately sensationalist. I am trying to make point of how hypocritical that side is.

WowMao wrote:

One question I have about Mao in the long program in Vancouver is if you know: how did she catch such a bad edge before she tried her triple toe which was the big mistake that upset her so much and distracted from what had been a magnificent program to that point?

There is a giant pothole in the ice, so huge you can see it from the stands. It is like she fell into a punji pit. Maybe the Zamboni was having mechanical problems?? This is also almost a reason to restart. Long ago the refs put flags around hazards like this.

(I'm sorry WM, I have a closeup of her foot falling, I can't find it at the moment.)


And it makes the whole Olympics look stupid! Imagine spending billions of dollars to host an event and the skaters don't even have a decent ice surface!

Only two countries are bidding for 2022, both dictatorships, so this is the end of the IOC's scam.

WowMao wrote:

Another incident I wanted to ask about is when Mao was skating her LP in the World Championships in 2009 and some jerk (which is much too nice a word) yelled, "Fall!" just before she was about to do her second triple axel.

Same thing supposedly happened to Plushenko in Salt Lake City, someone apparently distracted him during the SP and he unprecedentedly fell on his quad, costing him the gold.

WowMao wrote:

Did her or her coach make a protest after the skate was finished?  Why wasn't something done to this punk? He should have been punched in the face and thrown out.

The referee absolutely should have restarted the match.

But I want to point out something: The ISU thinks it can financially save itself by appealing to the lowest common denominator. This is what you get when you try to appeal to the lowest common denominator, rabble who think causing and watching falls is "entertainment" - this is the social strata the ISU is desperately trying to make it's core audience.

Everything the ISU does to make itself more popular makes it less popular.

WowMao wrote:

Mao's score of 142.7 because it is the most absurd result in the history of the sport

Absolutely. It is actually good that the number is so low, because if it were higher like 148 everyone would be trying to justify it, and even 148 cannot be justified. Even 151 is not right, and too many people would be satisfied, because it would be "enough" to break the world record. The world record is not what matters so much as the number giving some kind of indication of what went on in the arena. It is so low, it cannot be anything but an open fraud. The score completely discredits the scoring.

That is why, I think, she might have felt a kind of disillusioned relief. The score is like discovering the medals she missed out on were made of wax anyway. The medals are no more real than the score. The disillusionment is total freedom.

WowMao wrote:

In my view, Mao should get around 151 or 152 while Sotnikova should get around 135

The problem is thinking relativistically. That amount of difference between them might be right, but one score cannot be calculated from the other. Sotnikova's Tech is about one triple axel behind Mao. But if she should indeed be 15 points behind, Kim must be 20, because we are counting mistakes.

If the meaning of a score is it's relation to other scores, inflation has made that impossible, because even a "fair" score for an extraordinary performance is only a few points away from an inflated mediocre one! The entire system has to be scrapped.

WowMao wrote:

My view is this: Mao poured every ounce of spiritual, physical and emotional energy she had into that performance at Sochi after spending four years of frustration and suffering…

This article is what inspired me to analyze video evidence of overlooked Tech Violations, to discredit the ISU scoring.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/22/sports/secretariat-rides-advances-in-technology-to-preakness-record.html?pagewanted=all

World records can change anytime, even 40 years later.
It turns out, the world record of the racehorse Secretariat was actually not fast enough, because there was a problem with the timer. A team of analysts were able to prove the correct, faster time with video evidence of the race, and the record was changed.
Why would people invest the resources to change a record, of a race that was won anyway? Because it was that good of a race.

Mao's Sochi LP is the Secretariat Run of skating, an impossibility 20 lengths ahead of everything else.
The scores will be changed someday in the far future, in an a completely different type of system that is impossible to manipulate.
The video evidence of what she achieved exists, that is enough.

WowMao wrote:

do you have any idea why the Japanese Skating Federation treated their star, Mao, so awfully?

Because they are run by speed skaters, probably.
Her leaving will be the Atlas Shrugged of Skating.

"I intend to show the world who depends on whom, who supports whom, who is the source of wealth, who makes whose livelihood possible and what happens to who when whom walks out." - John Galt

Thank you Samurai Mao and BeliveinMaoSelf for your support and kind words. I will try to respond more specifically to what you both said later but they are both really compelling posts in different ways.

I have worked really hard on the Tribute to Mao's Sochi Freeskate (posted above) and to me this is the my best expression of what Mao's skating means and does to me in a visual, emotional and spiritual sense. Her Sochi performance totally obliterated my concept of scores and sent me off into a "transcendent dimension" as I said in the description. Mao, through her trials and tribulations, elegance and athletic brilliance, emotional resonance and resilience, desperation and passion, was somehow able to encapsulate and portray the beauty and pain of life within a 4 minute spanse of time. And when she broke down at the end, it felt like the whole world cried in my mind's eye, as did I. As Coach Sato laconically stated, "She somehow found something profound."

I deleted some of my posts here because I realized that my negativity or whining about past events were not helping to build the kind of legacy I felt Mao has left and continues to try to build, even in her absence from the skating world, and as her representatives I think we should try to preserve high degree of positive integrity on this site.

Whining about past slights by the ISU is a futile pastime that eats away the desire to savor the flavor of the future, with broken goals reaping their toll because your energies are sold to a memory left to mould.   Better to erect a tower of praise through your own creation combined with a diplomatic base that chips away at the ISU's flimsy foundation through measured  but firm argumentation with some degree of satiric representation that finally undermines their reputation, at least for those inclined to listen with an open mind. OK I'm playing too many word games but this is basically what I think.

It is true, Samurai Mao, that I have spent a lot of time on other forums and youtube writing posts to try counteract streams of animosity towards Mao that often come from Kim fans and other detractors. However, you would be surprised how many Kim fans have rushed to the support of Mao in the wake of her Sochi performance. One today on fsuniverse, said in a post on Mao's Olympic LP that she should have gotten 160 for her long program. Even I think that's a little high, though it certainly should have been a world record. Others quoted 156 and even those who have a history of criticizing Mao - practically everyone of them say she should have won the freeskate: the only real issue is whether she should have gotten a world record score. Many even think she should have got the bronze medal.

Though in a one sense I longed for more technical content in Mao's new SP "Let It Shine," I realized spiritually for her it was a joyous release for her achievements in her last 3 skates. In that sense, it was a victory lap, a rapturous stroll for her soul that jettisoned her recent burdens of technical excellence and the Atlas like demands of having to deliver epic grandeur, and an awakening from the ethereal meditation in Chopin's performances, which I prefer but will concede to her wishes since it is so healthy for her. And the dance moves and energy were contagious.

I just don't want to make Mao out to be a martyr under persecution and there was a moment yesterday where I looked at the forum and got some sense of this and I am as guilty as anyone of this. To be honest, this feeling gets a little scary and I want to try to avoid it.

Besides, Mao's place in history is just fine. On my post on the previous page, she is ranked just second behind Michelle Kwan as the best female skater of all time with the second best freeskate, of course Sochi LP, also behind Kwan in the voting on threads at Golden Skate. She is also the most famous person in Japan, so she has made it about as big and anyone can. The thing is even her Worlds LP seems to rival Sochi in its intensity and the Chopin at Worlds is divine.

Some one uploaded this fun video.
14-year old Mao was coaching? the four stooges, so to say   on the ice.
(from about 2:00)

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x23y5ry_geim-2005-07-12_fun