Crystal Skate

October 31, 2008: It's a few days before the start of the 2008 Cup of China and for Japanese superstar, Daisuke Takahashi, it's the day disaster strikes. He's just torn a ligament in his right leg, which will take him off the ice for the entire season. What's even worse is that this is the type of injury that might just abruptly end the career of one of the most promising skaters of the decade. Long before becoming a superstar, Daisuke began his life in the ice rink by choosing between hockey and figure skating. He became a senior skater at the age of 16, but couldn't cope with the pressure and didn't become Japan's National Champion until four seasons later. Phantom of the Opera Photograph: Koichi Kamoshida/Getty Images Sport In 2005/2006, at the age of 19, he almost lost the National title, and the chance to participate at the Olympics, when it was accidentally given to Nobunari Oda due to a miscalculation. The error was corrected though and Daisu...

Saitama, Japan, December 2013: A beautiful lady in a flowery dress lands a Triple Lutz in the roar of the crowd. This is her home country and she is loved here, but she's about to be even more famous and become everyone's sweetheart. The Lutz is only the first jump out of a perfect series that will eventually bring her the prize she's been looking for, for the last 14 years: the National title. Skating on music by Bill Whelan. Photograph: Jasper Juinen /Getti Images North America Akiko Suzuki became known worldwide years before being crowned Japan's national champion. She made her debut on a major international stage at the 2009 Cup of China, which she won. Immediately striking us as artistically brilliant, she skated the short on Andalucia  and Fire Dance  by Bill Whelan. She then went on to showcase her versatility by telling the story of modern-day Romeo and Juliet with West Side Story . This was the programme that would show us just how good she was at expre...

It's time to dig into the Olympic season and what better way to do it then talk about Miki Ando's unexpected  (and somewhat shocking) announcement that she plans to compete at Sochi despite giving birth this very April? The Japanese skater, who has two World gold medals and three National ones, announced on Monday, July 15 that she is the proud single mother of a baby girl, news which immediately got categorized as s candalous  because apparently having children without a wedding band on your finger is something we have never heard of before. I would like to quickly get the news of her giving birth out of the picture by saying "Congratulations!" and stating that Miss Ando (like any other woman out there) should have the right to do whatever she wants with her private life without being attacked by the media because of something that stopped being Breaking News  hundreds of years ago.On the same show, she also said she plans to storm into Sochi, which is the real bi...