Mao Asada and Yuna Kim definitely for me.
I don't follow much of the other disciplines but the first time I saw these two compete in 2007, I have followed their careers ever since. Kim had to establish herself after the surge of Japanese skaters post-Turin and like most have pointed out- she had to without a strong federation and being an unknown. She had relied purely on her skill and technique and in the end, that's what got her her dream. And obviously, I admired the way she came back in 2014 for the benefit of younger skaters who wouldn't have been able to go that far without her winning the berth at Worlds.
As for Mao, I personally think she's lived more than one lifetime in the span of her career. Even though the OGM keeps eluding her, she still pursued her career and strived to improve on things she knew would damage her skating. Competing to honor the legacy of her mother and their dream, and for herself. And just the whole cycle after Vancouver- even Liza didn't compete for the whole season because she had growing pains. Mao competed to keep her momentum, even when the world basically gave out a sigh and expected her to bow out.
This is just from my generation. There are more skaters one would admire but for me, Mao and Kim defined figure skating for nearly a decade. Plus they kept their rivalry classy, even when their fans didn't.
I don't follow much of the other disciplines but the first time I saw these two compete in 2007, I have followed their careers ever since. Kim had to establish herself after the surge of Japanese skaters post-Turin and like most have pointed out- she had to without a strong federation and being an unknown. She had relied purely on her skill and technique and in the end, that's what got her her dream. And obviously, I admired the way she came back in 2014 for the benefit of younger skaters who wouldn't have been able to go that far without her winning the berth at Worlds.
As for Mao, I personally think she's lived more than one lifetime in the span of her career. Even though the OGM keeps eluding her, she still pursued her career and strived to improve on things she knew would damage her skating. Competing to honor the legacy of her mother and their dream, and for herself. And just the whole cycle after Vancouver- even Liza didn't compete for the whole season because she had growing pains. Mao competed to keep her momentum, even when the world basically gave out a sigh and expected her to bow out.
This is just from my generation. There are more skaters one would admire but for me, Mao and Kim defined figure skating for nearly a decade. Plus they kept their rivalry classy, even when their fans didn't.
