Skating Queen Miki Ando: Busier Than Ever Outside the Rink

Early mornings. Strict adherence to a regimented diet. Time and schedules planned to the precise minute in advance. Calculating risks ahead of every activity/tasks/things to be done.

This is how I remember the life of my friends who aspire to be athletes. To say that they are disciplined is an understatement. These superhumans do not conform to normal standards, and along with it a big chunk of what we would call ‘a regular life’, to chase the ultimate glory, to go for Gold. Apart from motherhood, it is probably the only other job in the world that consumes you lock, stock and barrel.

It is understandable then that upon retirement, the paradigm shift that professional athletes have to face is greatly and significantly different from the rest of us.

The world suddenly becomes slower. Strict lines are blurrier. And one could imagine that without the right mental preparation for this, things could go awry. How do they deal with this? What’s life like after competitive sports?

Enter Miki Ando. The 30-year-old native of Nagoya is one of the most celebrated figure skater in Japan. With no less than two World Championships under her belt, this vivacious lass shows no signs of slowing down post her retirement in 2014.

She currently holds several jobs; show skater, TV commentator and presenter, coach. All this and being a mom to a lovely five-year-old girl.

What goes through her mind when thinking about options available to her? Which is her favourite path? Any chance of going back to competitive skating?

AWANI Review’s Syed Farradino Omar talks to her exclusively in this edition of In Person.