May 18--Mao Asada, a three-time world champion in figure skating, has returned to training after taking a year off from her sport.
Asada made the announcement Monday on her blog.
"Now I think I want to go back to the game," she wrote in Japanese.
The 24-year-old stopped short of declaring that she will try for the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
"I don't know if I'll be able to compete or not, so it's still much too early to think about the Olympics," Asada told reporters at a Tokyo news conference later in the day.
In addition to her victories at the world championships, Asada also won silver at the 2010 Vancouver Games. She began her break after missing the podium in the 2014 Sochi Games, saying that she was exhausted and might retire.
