When she lost the champion title to Kim Yuna in the 2010 Winter Olympics, she was obviously disappointed and somehow lost in disbelief. Undoubtedly she had been diligent and already did her best at that time, but Kim was definitely beyond comparison in that game. Asada looked stressed and tensed in her though beautiful and graceful skating; while Kim gave an impression that she danced at ease in every step. On technique front, I am not any expert to judge, but as an audience I was much more enchanted by Kim in 2010.
By chance I watched Asada's performance in the national championship in 2012. She skated like an elf on the ice and seemed to have raised herself to a different level of the sport. Even without her signature jumps - triple and 3 and 1/2 - she was still fascinating. Possibly without those highly risky shows of techniques and therefore free from worries about possible mistakes, she was able to relax more, enjoy herself better, and manage to engage her audiences in the joyful melody. An impeccable performance it was in terms of its overall presentation, skill, and spirit.
Asada has been the apple of the eye of the Japanese public since the very early stage of her career. The distance that I have maintained to keep myself away from that nationalistic mode of adoration did not prevent me from applauding for her; she really earned her title hard and gracefully this time. And I believe, as an athlete she is now in a totally different stage of the career, a better and brighter star who has mastered the profession and learned to do it as a form of art.
