Turin Olympic gold medalist Shizuka Arakawa said Monday she has yet to make up her mind on whether to turn professional and will not be rushed into making a decision on her future.
"It's not that I haven't given it (turning pro) careful thought, it's just that I am torn as to which course I should take," said Arakawa. "There is no need to rush. I won't be consulting anybody about this and I will do things my own way."
Arakawa last week opted to sit out the upcoming world championships, a decision that led to speculation she may be about to hang up her skates.
Arakawa's hectic schedule after the Turin Games has made it difficult for her to prepare fully for the March 20-26 championships in Calgary, Canada.
"I poured all my strength into the Olympics, which was always the chief priority for me and I'm still in a situation where I can't relax," said Arakawa.
Arakawa said she made a swift decision not to skate at the worlds to give her replacement enough time to properly prepare for the competition.
Yoshie Onda will fill in for Arakawa at the world championships, joining Fumie Suguri, who finished fourth at the Turin Olympics, and NHK Trophy winner Yukari Nakano as Japan's representatives.
Arakawa, the 2004 world champion, became the first Japanese figure skater to win an Olympic gold medal in Turin last month, coming from behind to beat U.S. national champion Sasha Cohen and reigning world champion Irina Slutskaya of Russia. Cohen took silver and Slutskaya bronze.