Figure skating: Retired star Mao Asada to open coaching academy
KYODO NEWS - 17 hours ago - 18:40 | Sports, All
Retired figure skater Mao Asada, who won silver for Japan at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, announced Thursday she is embarking on a full-time coaching career.
The 34-year-old hopes to train some of the sport's future stars at her school, the Kinoshita MAO Academy, which is scheduled to open on Aug. 1.
"I'm taking a new step. I want to instruct each skater carefully one-on-one," Asada said at a press conference in Tokyo.
The three-time world champion has stayed active, performing in ice shows since retiring from competition in 2017.
The school has been developed with the backing of the Tokyo-based Kinoshita Group, which operates construction and nursing care businesses.
Asada oversaw the construction of a rink in the western Tokyo city of Tachikawa that was completed in November.
She plans to instruct around 10 pupils aged between 5 and 9 at the school, hoping to "develop skaters who can be world No. 1."
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