Seventeen years after their alliance ended, Machiko Yamada says, "Mao possessed exceptional talent, and she had already exceeded the limits of our guidance."
Daisuke Takahashi and Mao Asada were the first two skaters to sweep both singles titles for Japan, doing so at the 2010 world championships.
The list places a priority on results in major competitions, while taking into account mitigating factors like injury, record scores and big moves up the standings.
