Figureskating - From Hanyu's shadow, Uno leaps eagerly to the attack

FILE PHOTO: Figure Skating - ISU World Championships 2017 - Men's Victory Ceremony - Helsinki, Finland - 1/4/17 - Gold medallist Yuzuru Hanyu (R) of Japan and his compatriot and silver medallist Shoma Uno attend the ceremony. REUTERS/Grigory Dukor/File Photo

TOKYO (Reuters) - Shoma Uno first stepped on the ice at five, but it was the rough-and-tumble of hockey he had his eyes on - until a chance meeting with a Japanese figure skater changed everything.

The skater was Mao Asada, now a Japanese household name and two-time Olympian who retired earlier this year. She told Uno he was cute, and asked if he'd ever thought of figure skating.