TOKYO (AP) — One of Japan’s most popular athletes should have known she couldn’t leave quietly: Mao Asada‘s press conference Wednesday to officially announce her retirement from figure skating attracted some 350 media and was telecast live across Japan.
Asada led her country’s figure skating scene since her teens with her trademark triple axel. She started skating at the age of 5 and won world championships in 2008, 2010 and 2014 in an illustrious career that included a silver medal at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.
The 26-year-old Asada decided to take a break from competitive skating in 2014 and made a comeback the following year.