Fresh off a training stint in Russia with famed coach Tatiana Tarasova, and a short vacation in Japan, world figure skating championship runnerup Mao Asada is making no secret of her ambitions for the upcoming Grand Prix season.
![News photo](../images/photos2007/sp20070815a1a.jpg)
"I want to defend my title at the national championships, and also would like to win the gold medal with the best performance at the world championships," Asada said at a news conference with her sister, Mai, at Narita Airport on Aug. 5, before heading back to their training base in Lake Arrowhead, Calif.