まゆの部屋

VANCOUVER 2010 / Mao-chan a winner in fans' eyes
Akiko Yoshinaga / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

VANCOUVER--Mao Asada shed tears of vexation Thursday after she failed to capture the figure skating gold medal she so earnestly sought. Asada ended up a distant second behind her South Korean rival Kim Yu Na, who put on a flawless performance at the Vancouver Winter Olympics.

But Asada's fans who watched the battle between Asada and Kim offered words of appreciation. "A silver medal also is great," said one, and others complimented her performance or talked of how it moved them.

Asada, 19, wept during an interview after the competition.

"My performance seemed to go by in a flash," she said before breaking down momentarily, adding in a strained voice: "I feel frustrated, but I did all I could."

Skating immediately before Asada, Kim received a very high score, generating a buzz among the crowd that continued into the beginning of Asada's performance.

Asada got off to a strong start, successfully performing a triple axel and completed jumps one after another. She slipped up midway through her performance, wobbling a bit on a landing.

Asada could not manage a smile immediately following her performance and accepted the cheers of spectators with a grim expression.

But she had done enough to win the silver medal.

"It was a great performance. Foreign spectators also cheered her on. I want to tell her that she was the most wonderful," said Rika Tone, 29, a company employee from Tokyo who went to the Pacific Coliseum to cheer for Asada.

"If Asada is satisfied [with the result], a big fan like me doesn't care about the color of the medal she won. Kim's performance was just too perfect," said Yasuyo Shiono, 49, also from Tokyo.

"I want to say congratulations to both Mao and Kim. I don't think we'll see such wonderful performances again for some time," said Kazuko Ueno, 78, of Itami, Hyogo Prefecture.

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Fans in Tokyo cheer Asada



The Yomiuri Shimbun



Crowds cheered and applauded in Tokyo on Friday as Japanese figure skaters competed in the women's long program at the Vancouver Winter Olympics.

About 1,200 people gathered in front of a 166-inch screen installed on the ground floor of the Marunouchi Building in Chiyoda Ward. They shouted and clapped their hands as each Japanese skater appeared on the screen.

"[Mao Asada] didn't win a gold medal, but getting a silver on the great stage [of the Olympic Games] is a marvelous achievement," said Yoshino Emoto, a 45-year-old company employee of Ota Ward, Tokyo, as he clapped loudly after Asada's performance.

The K's Cinema movie theater in Shinjuku Ward, which is now showing a film about a female figure skater aiming to compete in the Olympics, set up a temporary cheering area for the competition.

Small national flags were passed out to the about 30 people gathered there, revving them up to cheer on the skaters.

"It's too bad [Asada] lost to Kim, but I hope she wins a gold medal at the next Olympic Games," said Kensuke Yamada, a university freshman who is the same age as the 19-year-old Asada.

(Feb. 27, 2010)