As the sand continues through the hourglass and the days until the Vancouver Olympics dwindle, Mao Asada's chances at the gold medal seem to continue to dissipate.

Her fifth-place finish at the Rostelecom Cup in Moscow last month cost her a spot in next month's Grand Prix Final in Tokyo. That was a great pity, because it was at the same event back in 2005 that a 15-year-old Mao burst onto the international scene with a stirring victory.

Just a few weeks later she topped that by becoming the first female in history to land two triple axels in the same program when she did it at the Japan nationals.