Japanese figure skater Miki Ando gives birth to daughter

Miki Ando, 26, the winner in the women’s single category at the 2011 ISU World Figure Skating Championships, confessed that she secretively gave birth.

“I gave birth to a daughter in April,” Ando said in an interview with TV Asahi of Japan on Monday. Noting that she learned her pregnancy in October last year, the figure skating star said, “I deeply agonized after learning my pregnancy. I even thought about abortion.”

Ando publicized the face of her daughter called “Himawari,” meaning sunflower, on the day. But she stopped short of revealing who the daughter’s father is. Japanese media suspects as her father figure skater Yasuharu Nanri, 28, who rumors had it that he was in love affairs with Ando since 2011. Highly popular in Japan due to his good appearance, Nanri was the winner in the men’s single category at the 2004 Junior Grand Prix finals. Having retired in 2011, Nanri remains tightlipped about whether he is the father of Ando’s daughter.

Ando, who announced her retirement at the 2011 World Championships, returned to her figure skating career through ice shows last month. Concentrating on training since May, soon after her childbirth, Ando said, “I want to have a beautiful finale to my career at the Sochi Winter Olympics next year. I will retire after the Olympics.”