Japanese teenage figure skating star Mao Asada will move her training base to Los Angeles in the upcoming winter sports season, informed sources said Friday.
Mao Asada and older sister Mai Asada will part company with their longtime Nagoya-based coach Machiko Yamada and train under Rafael Arutunian, known for developing the talent of five-time world champion Michelle Kwan.
The decision to make the switch ironically followed a boost in the popularity of figure skating in Japan after Mao Asada, 15, emerged as a teenage sensation in her senior international debut last winter.
She highlighted her season with victory in the elite six-skater field at the Grand Prix Final, though the age limit prevented her from skating in the Turin Olympics, where fellow Japanese Shizuka Arakawa won gold.
Mao Asada is scheduled to leave for the United States next Monday. She is setting her sights on Skate America in late October for her first competitive appearance in the new season. (Kyodo News)