magicaleggplant reblogged
Carrying a small suitcase, Rino Matsuike stood alone in the aisle at the back of the venue, after the Short Program.
She changed her clothes and went up to the stands to watch the Short Program performances of the second group of women, including Kaori Sakamoto, but “I was really depressed, so I didn't feel like sitting down and taking time to watch it”, she said.
Alysa Liu walked down the aisle. She asked Matsuike: “Do you want to watch with me?" and Liu took her to where the other American skaters were sitting.
They all knew how Matsuike performed. Still, Liu said to her, “It was beautiful." Ilia Malinin said to her in Japanese: “Otsukare-sama”. They were as considerate for her as much as they could.
"It helped me a lot," Matsuike said.
- From Article by Kai Uchida for Asahi Shimbun Digital, posted on October 30, 2024.
