Japan's Mao Asada begins figure skating comeback
Three-time world champion returns to serious practice
Mao Asada is back into serious practice in a bid to return to figure skating at the elite level after taking a year off competition.
Speaking at a news conference Monday, the Vancouver Olympic silver medallist said she misses competition and decided by herself to attempt a comeback.
The 24-year-old Asada captured her third world title at the 2014 figure skating world championships in Japan, which followed a sixth-place finish at the Sochi Olympics.
A year ago, Asada said she needed to take a break from skating.
"As time passed, I realized that I missed competing and wanted the sense of fulfillment again," the Japanese figure skater said. "I'm practicing every day to get back into competitive form again."
Asada said she isn't sure when her first competition will be and that she hasn't thought yet about the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
Asada began figure skating at the age of five and made her senior debut in the 2005-06 season. She won her first world title in 2008.