In a sport famous for its all-consuming rivalries, and mirroring a
historical conflict that has caused sporting enmity for decades, the
figure skating matchup between Mao Asada of Japan and South Korea's Kim
Yu-Na is one of the most storied competitions in the sport's history.
Sochi will likely host
the final chapter in this legendary head-to-head, which has dominated
figure skating since both skaters were juniors.
Both Asada and Kim plan
to retire following this year's Winter Games.
It is also the Japanese
skater's last chance for Olympic gold. Asada finished up as runner-up to
her nemesis the last time they met in Olympic competition, taking the
silver while Kim grabbed the top podium spot. Asada, for her part, has
won two world championships and the 2013 Grand Prix Final.
"In Vancouver, I had the gold medal as my goal," Asada was quoted as saying on the Olympics website
.
"I'd worked for it since I
was a child, and afterwards I really regretted my mistakes. In Sochi,
I'd like to erase those memories by doing everything perfectly. That's
what I've been working for these last three years."
Japan and Korea's
history, which spanned decades of occupation before entering a post-war
state of grudging truce, is the backdrop for the pair's rivalry. The two
country's prior conflicts saw Japanese colonial rule enacted on the
Korean peninsula from the early part of the 20th Century to the
conclusion of the Second World War.
Various diplomatic
mis-steps since then have kept relations between the two neighbors as
chilly as the surface of Sochi's Iceberg Skating Palace.
Mao and Kim have been
adversaries since their very early days as competitive skaters, and have
shared honors throughout their respective careers. They have both been
skating competitively since 2005.
They were born only 20
days apart, in 1990, and given the length and depth of their on-ice
history, it is fitting that they should both choose to bow out of the
sport at the same time.
Despite -- or perhaps
because of -- their long rivalry, they remain very different skaters.
The Japanese skater has long been noted for her technical abilities,
while her Korean counterpart is praised as a more artistic, emotional
skater.
Asada was the first
woman to land a triple axel in competition and has since bettered the
feat. The 23-year-old has credited the ongoing competition with her
Korean counterpart as a key motivation for her continued improvements on
the ice.
They describe their
dynamic as friendly, and Kim has also acknowledged the importance of
Asada's part in her professional development.
"We have been constantly
compared since we were in junior competition so I always considered her
a rival," Kim told reporters last year. "While we want to avoid each
other, having her there also gave me motivation and stimulation."
As the two prepare to
meet one final time, their fans around the world will be glued to their
TVs. The Ladies Short Program and Free Skating take place on the 19th
and 20th of February.
Kim has yet to skate at
this Olympics, although Asada arrived in Sochi last week and has already
taken to the ice for her part in the Team event, a new introduction to
the Games.
She fell during her
Ladies Short Program routine on Sunday, and finished third with a score
of 64.07. Despite the Japanese media saying that she has no problem with
her triple axel during practice, it was the difficult jump that undid
her at the weekend.
It is one of her most
devastating weapons but she has had trouble re-mastering it following a
change of coach. Teammate Akiko Suzuki replaced her for the free skate
portion of the event.
Kim is only the third
woman to defend her Olympic figure skating title, joining Katarina Witt,
who took to the ice in Calgary 26 years ago, and Sonja Henie, who
competed in the 1920's and 30's.
However, a fairytale
ending for for one of the skaters could be thwarted by the aptly-named
Gracie Gold, the 18-year-old American who will be skating in her first
Games. Gold wowed fans with her victory in the U.S. National Figure
Skating Championship last month
No comments:
Post a Comment