World and Japanese Figure Skating Champion:
Mao Asada is the 2008 World Figure Skating Champion. She is also the 2007 and 2008 Japanese national figure skating champion.
Date of Birth:
September 25, 1990
Place of Birth:
Nagoya, Japan
First a Ballerina:
Asada was a ballet dancer before becoming a figure skater. She began skating in 1995.
Family:
Mao's older sister, Mai, is also a figure skater.
Too Young for the 2006 Olympics:
In 2006, Mao Asada placed second at the Japanese National Figure Skating Championships, but could not compete since she was too young to be eligible under the rules of the
International Skating Union.
Signature Move:
A
cross-grab Bielmann is considered Mao Asada's signature move.
Consistent Triple Axels:
Asada is known for being able to land consistent triple axels; however, at the 2008 World Figure Skating Championships, she surprised herself and the audience by slipping on the take-off of the jump.
No Coach at Worlds 2008:
Since August of 2006, Mao Asada trained in the United States under Rafael Arutunian in Lake Arrowhead, California. She returned to Japan to train in early 2008. She went to the 2008 World Figure Skating Championships without a coach.
First Figure Skater to Do a Triple-Triple-Triple Jump Combination:
When Mao was only twelve years old, she landed a triple flip, triple loop, triple toe loop
combination in competition. That feat gave her the distinction of being the first female figure skater to complete a triple-triple-triple jump combination in competition.
