Three-time World champion Mao Asada was vague about her future plans after finishing seventh at the World Championships on Saturday, her lowest result at an Olympics or Worlds in 11 appearances.
“I’ve just finished my free skate so it’s hard to say, but my feelings and inclinations can change from day to day,” Asada said, according to an International Skating Union press release. “There are times when I think I can do it and other times when I think that I cannot. I want to rest for now and then give it more thought.”
But Asada said she planned to compete at least next season, according to the Japan News.
“I’m able to perform, so that’s the idea,” she said, according to the report.
Asada, 25, improved from ninth after Thursday’s short program to place seventh Saturday, landing her trademark triple Axel. But it was called under-rotated by judges, along with two other triple jumps.
Before the competition, Asada said she planned to make a run for a third Olympics in 2018. The Japanese icon took the 2014-15 season off and announced her return to the sport in May.
“After I came back, there were times when I wondered whether I should not have,” Asada said Saturday, according to the press release. “It can be difficult, but I only have a few years left to be able to do this, and I want to give skating all that I have. There are many young skaters competing now, and I felt that maybe my generation’s time was over. But as I went on, I began to think that just skating for myself is another approach, and once I became comfortable with that, my thoughts and feelings eased.”
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