Asada bows out of Olympics with pride intact

“After the worlds I haven’t made up my mind. I will do some shows and then see,” she added.

Please don't retire. ;-)

Hang in here, Mao-san ! You're a class act !

The Japanese skater said after her performance on Wednesday she received support from former coaches, friends and fans telling her not to give up.

Eat that Mori! It's called support and encouragement. Learrrrrrrrrrrrn.

Good on the people for the support despite the short program, and excellent comeback by Mao in the freeskate. I only wish she could have done as well in her first performance. She would have medalled for sure. If she does indeed retire I hope she can share her experiences and work with future athletes, regardless of nationality, to improve the sport.

As for morons like Mori, I hope, but doubt, that he'll think twice before once again opening his yap and saying something stupid. That goes for the media and posters demanding taxes back or blaming South Korean media on Kim's performance as well. The excuses and finger pointing have been staggering this Olympics.

That free skate performance was pure redemption. What a great show of heart from her.

I really enjoyed Mao's free skate. She had better not retire.

You'll always be in our hearts, Mao-chan! And please don't quit.

It was a pleasure watching that free skate. I wish she would keep on skating as she's only 23, but whatever she decides on she'll always have my support. Wish you the best, Mao-chan!

I know the Mao story. It's. On. TV. Everyday. 10 times a day.

What about Akiko Suzuki? It's her last Olympics. She's decorated in international competition. What about Kanako? Spread the love to your athletes. Sorry, I've just had my fill of Mao literally since the day I arrived and saw an ad with her in it. Never. Stopped. Seeing. Her. Since.

Mao is a fantastic skater and competitor. Truly to be applauded.

Yes, Asada, please keep on skating so other nations can win medals.

RR

“I can’t bring back an Olympic medal to Japan but I feel like I had the best performance I possibly could.

Three cheers to Mao. She has more class in her little toe than Mori does in his whole bloated being.

That is what the Olympics is all about-triumph of the spirit. Asada fell, got up and held her head high. She is a true Olympian!

A lovely skater on the ice, and a lovely woman off the ice.

I was really moved by her final performance which was truly a triumph. Few people are good enough to get to the Olympics and fewer still could have picked themselves up after crashing to the lowest of the lows in just a 24-hour period. She didn't medal but her legacy is intact and she'll go down in sports history as one of the great female figure skaters.

I'm a Kim Yu-na fan and now an Asada Mao fan, too!

@harvey pekar I understand what you're saying, and to an extent I agree. But Mao is the most marketable of the bunch, with her slightly endearing cross-eyed look giving her the aura that even though she's famous she might be approachable for the average guy (of course she's not, really).. The others.are more media shy and don't really stand out from the crowd. Just be thankful that Miki Ando isn't seeking fame. If she had the right (wrong?) management we'd be seeing her literally everywhere

Mao-chan skated into people's hearts at age twelve and has kept the right attitude through thick and thin. She gets the gold medal for great sportsmanship in my book. She represents what young athletic hopefuls should emulate in any sport.

I agree, I believe she has received something even more precious than real gold medal.　And that is good for her.

I hope she will be appointed to a JOC committee official.