The pressure got too much, and that's why she retired, says Midori Ito, the former world figure skating champion and Olympic silver medal winner.
"The mental pressure was the biggest reason," Ito said Saturday at her first news conference since her retirement was announced two weeks ago.The 22-year-old skater said she had reached the limit of being able to handle the pressure.
"I became tense as the Albertville Olympics came closer and I wasn't able to give my best showing at the 1992 Olympics," Ito said.
View Comments
As for the future, Ito said she wants to skate in an ice show, appear in television commercials and get married.