Latest news with #KaoriSakamoto
Independent Singapore
23-06-2025
- Sport
- Independent Singapore
Kaori Sakamoto to end figure skating career after the 2026 Winter Olympics
Well-known figure skater Kaori Sakamoto plans to retire from competitive sports after the 2026 Winter Olympics, a decision she has hinted at for the past year. Sakamoto, who won three world championships and secured both silver and bronze Olympic medals, recently declared on Kyodo News (translated): 'I feel like I have less than a year left… I'll be 29 at the following Olympics (in 2030), which is out of the question. I'll try to bring things to a close the year I turn 26.' She added: 'I've made the decision really fast. I felt now was the time. I was more or less fixed on it since saying, 'I see two years as one cycle' last year.' 'Winning at least silvers in both the individual and team events (at the Olympics) would be mission completed… The time left is short, so I'll live each day to the fullest, and hopefully the results turn out to be what I'm wishing for,' Sakamoto remarked. Furthermore, Sakamoto also admitted that she will continue to be part of the figure skating community but now as a coach, in hopes of strengthening and nurturing future athletes from her country. A social media post made by a fan account said: 'Kaori announced she'll retire from competitive skating after next season at Sysmex Kobe Ice Campus opening ceremony today. She's set to become a figure skating coach afterward. Wishing Kaori an awesome final season!!❤️🔥' Fans commented on the post to express their support: 'I'm so sad right now – I hope her final season is everything she wants and more', 'I am so glad I got to see her skate at Worlds in Boston… her skating made my heart sing! ❤️', 'Wishing Kaori all the best for her last season. ❤️', and 'I expected this but when it comes to the announcement, sadness creeps in🥲🥲🥲… I'm only praying and cheering you on for the last season where you'll see the best smiles 😭🙏✨🫶' Sakamoto's figure skating achievements At the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, she won a team silver and an individual bronze medal. She became the first women's singles skater to win three consecutive World Championship titles from 2022 to 2024, following American Peggy Fleming from 1996 to 1968. This season, Sakamoto won the silver medal at the World Championships, narrowly missing the opportunity to secure four consecutive world titles. In Boston, she ranked fifth after the short programme, but eventually went up to second place after her free skate. She finished the competition only 4.99 points behind champion Alysa Liu. Throughout the season, the athlete achieved the highest combined score in international events.
Japan Forward
21-06-2025
- Sport
- Japan Forward
Kaori Sakamoto Reveals Plan to Retire After 2026 Olympics
Three-time world champion Kaori Sakamoto believes her window for success is coming to a close. "I feel like I have less than a year left," she said in Kobe. Kaori Sakamoto speaks to reporters at the Sysmex Kobe Ice Campus on June 20, 2025, in Kobe. (©KYODO) Kaori Sakamoto, who won three straight world titles in women's figure skating from 2022-24, has decided to retire from competition after the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics. Sakamoto made an announcement on Friday, June 20 in her hometown of Kobe. She revealed her plans during the opening ceremony at the Sysmex Kobe Ice Campus, a new ice rink set to open to the public on July 12. The popular skater, who turned 25 on April 9, believes her window for success as a competitor is coming to a close. "I feel like I have less than a year left," Sakamoto was quoted as saying by Kyodo News. She added, "I'll be 29 at the following Olympics [in 2030], which is out of the question. [So] I'll try to bring things to a close the year I turn 26." Two-time Olympian Kaori Sakamoto at the 2022 Beijing Games. (©SANKEI) Sakamoto competed in the Winter Games twice. At the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics, she placed sixth in the women's event. Four years later, she collected the bronze medal at the Beijing Olympics. She also helped Japan nab the silver in the team event. The medals were handed out at the 2024 Paris Olympics due to Russia's medal disqualification for doping. Japan had originally earned the bronze. Now, she has her sights set on reaching the podium in the women's singles event and the team competition in Italy. "Winning at least silver in both the individual and team events [at the Olympics] would be mission completed," Sakamoto said, according to Kyodo News. Looking ahead to the final chapter of her competitive career, Sakamoto said, "The time left is short, so I'll live each day to the fullest and hopefully the results turn out to be what I'm wishing for." Sakamoto said she plans to become a skating instructor after her retirement. Kaori Sakamoto in a December 2018 file photo. She won the women's title at the 87th Japan Figure Skating Championships in Kadoma, Osaka Prefecture. (©SANKEI) In the 2015-16 season, Sakamoto claimed the silver medal in her Junior Grand Prix debut in Riga, Latvia. It signaled her rise to prominence on the global scale. In the 2016-17 season, she was the bronze medalist at the Junior Grand Prix Final and the World Junior Championships. Sakamoto also achieved notable success in the Japan Championships, winning the national women's title five times, including four consecutive times (2021-24). Kaori Sakamoto (KYODO) On the Grand Prix circuit, she was a dynamic performer. She won the NHK Trophy three times, triumphed twice at Skate Canada and once apiece in Skate America and the Grand Prix of Finland. Sakamoto also captured the Grand Prix Final title in the 2023-24 campaign, and followed that up with a third-place finish the next season. By winning her third consecutive world title in March 2024, in Montreal, Canada, Sakamoto became the first woman to do so since American Peggy Fleming (1966-68). Kaori Sakamoto displays her gold medal after winning her third consecutive women's title at the 2024 ISU World Figure Skating Championships in Montreal, Canada. (©KYODO) "At the start of my performance, I accidentally caught an edge, but I managed to regain my composure and delivered a performance that left me satisfied," Sakamoto told reporters after her title-clinching free skate. "Once I landed the first double axel everything was OK again and I trusted my training." Longtime journalist Jack Gallagher, who has penned articles and Ice Time columns for JAPAN Forward and SportsLook for several years, analyzed the essential ingredients of Sakamoto's sustained on-ice success in one of his columns. "Ice Time has been covering Sakamoto since early in her days as a junior," Gallagher wrote in March 2024, "and what has always set her apart from her competitors is her strength, speed and mental fortitude. She is a powerful jumper, who is faster than the other skaters, and tougher." Kaori Sakamoto in a March 2025 file photo from the world championships. (Brian Fluharty/IMAGN IMAGES/via REUTERS) Sakamoto's retirement announcement grabbed the attention of skating fans around the world. For example, a number of thoughtful and upbeat tributes to the three-time world champion were posted on the popular Reddit r/FigureSkating online community, which has more than 78,000 members. One commenter wrote, "When I think of her coaching, I just imagine her happily chasing skaters around the rink to make sure they're skating with speed, energy and joy." Another posted the following: "Not a shock, but it still makes me sad ― she's probably my favorite current female skater. Skating will miss her." Sakamoto brought happiness to scores of skating fans in her homeland and elsewhere. Another Reddit commenter's remarks underscore that point. "Oh, I'll miss her so much," the skating fan wrote. "I started following skating right before the '22 Olympics, and can't really imagine it without her. Her strength, her confidence, her positivity; she brings so much joy to skating, and she's been such a lovely role model. Hoping this last season goes well for her. Wishing her all the best." Kaori Sakamoto (KYODO) On X (formerly known as Twitter), numerous figure skating aficionados also paid tribute to the popular skater. "Kaori Sakamoto had a lovely and long career, she will end her career after participating in Olympic Games thrice!" wrote one skating fan on X. "I'm hoping she can retire with [an] OGM (Olympic gold medal). But if she doesn't achieve it, I'm most proud of her amazing and long career." From left, Tatsuya Tsuboi, Kaori Sakamoto, Mai Mihara and Saki Miyake are seen at the opening ceremony at the Sysmex Kobe Ice Campus on June 20 in Kobe. (KYODO) Author: Ed Odeven Find Ed on JAPAN Forward' s dedicated website, SportsLook . Follow his [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and X (formerly Twitter) ＠ed_odeven .
Japan Today
20-06-2025
- Sport
- Japan Today
Three-time world champion figure skater Sakamoto to retire
Japan's three-time world figure skating champion Kaori Sakamoto said Friday she will retire after the Winter Olympics in February. "I think it's better for me to make this a clean break than to continue for two or three years," said the 25-year-old, who won team silver and singles bronze medals at the 2022 Beijing Winter Games. "I'll be 29 at the Olympics (in 2030) so I thought that's not possible," Sakamoto told reporters at an event in Kobe. "I want to finish every competition with no regrets, so I want to seek perfection more than ever before," she said. Sakamoto finished second at the world championships in Boston in March, missing out on becoming the first woman in 65 years to win four consecutive world crowns. She said after Boston that the experience would help her as she looked forward to the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympics. © 2025 AFP
CBC
20-06-2025
- Sport
- CBC
Kaori Sakamoto to retire from figure skating after 2026 Olympic Games
Social Sharing Kaori Sakamoto, the three-time figure skating world champion, will retire after next year's 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina, she said Friday. The 25-year-old Japanese star won an Olympic bronze medal in the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing and took the silver medal in the world championships in March with gold to American Alysa Liu. Sakamoto acknowledged that age is catching up with her.
Washington Post
20-06-2025
- Sport
- Washington Post
Why three-time world champion Kaori Sakamoto will retire after the 2026 Winter Olympics
TOKYO — Kaori Sakamoto, the three-time figure skating world champion, will retire after next year's 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina, she said Friday. The 25-year-old Japanese star won an Olympic bronze medal in the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing and took the silver medal in the world championships in March with gold to American Alysa Liu .
