Kaori Sakamoto: “This season is more important for preparing for the Olympics than aiming for a fourth World title. I’m linking two seasons together with the ultimate goal of performing well at the Olympics.”
Kaori Sakamoto about winning NHK and plans for the season.
original source: number.bunshun.jp dd. 17th November 2024 by Yoshie Noguchi
In the interview posted on Sports Graphic Number Web, Kaori Sakamoto talks about winning the NHK Trophy and shares her goals for this season. Here’s a translation of her comments.
Having secured her spot in the GP Final with consecutive Grand Prix victories this season, Sakamoto said, “I’m not really thinking about winning the GP Final consecutively. I just want to perform better than I did this time.”
When asked why being the best in the world isn’t her goal for this season, she reflected on her strategy. “This season, I’m incorporating two lutzes and adding new combination jumps as a result. I want to increase my options for jump recovery in the second half of the performance during this season. There is risk involved, but it’s worth taking. Although I aimed for consecutive World Championship titles until last year, this season is more important for preparing for the Olympics than aiming for a fourth title. I’m linking two seasons together with the ultimate goal of performing well at the Olympics.”
The women’s official practice was held with spectators, creating a tension similar to the real performance. Kaori admitted that even after returning to the hotel, she couldn’t relax and was nervous while preparing. “My hands were shaking so much I couldn’t apply my eyeliner. I didn’t know how to calm my nerves and thought, ‘What should I do!’ Last season, I was anxious about whether I could perform what I had practiced, but now I am testing myself in stages I haven’t reached before, so it was a different kind of tension.”
She also mentioned that watching her teammate, Tatsuya Tsuboi’s performance on the hotel TV helped her to calm down. “We had been training together until the NHK Cup, and Tsuboi had been intensely practicing his quadruple salchow, almost to the point where it was ‘Tsuboi three times, me once’ when playing our music. Seeing his results, tears almost came out, and since I had just finished my makeup, I thought, ‘I shouldn’t cry,’ so I looked down and let the tears fall straight down.”
When she arrived to the arena, Sakamoto congratulated him with his third place after the short program. “I told him, ‘Well done,’ and he told me, ‘Kaori, do your best too.’ That made me feel determined. Before the performance, it was also reassuring when coach told me, ‘We’ll jump together, so give it your all.'”
Kaori also admitted that doing tango as her short program was a new challenge for her. “When we choreographed it, I struggled with the performance. I thought I was performing with finesse, but when I watched the video, I looked like I was flailing around. With more practice, I feel like the image I have in my mind is finally getting closer to what appears on video.”
“I was uncertain if I’d have the stamina to last,” she told about her performance in the free sakte. “But just before entering the final choreographic sequence, both coaches encouraged me, saying ‘Keep pushing!’ and I thought, ‘I have no choice but to give everything.’ I really pushed through on the last two jumps. I was concentrating hard up until the spins, vowing not to let my guard down, but as soon as I felt that ‘Yes!’ emotion during the final knee-slide, my heel caught and I thought, ‘Am I really going to fall at the very end?'”
As for the competition in general, she told “Today was a good competition because I realized it’s not like me to hold back. Although I succeeded with the new jumps this time, I believe that continuing to succeed in the next, and the one after that, will lead to improvement. Pushing harder, I wonder what that feels like — it’s scary. But, I’ll cling on with all my might!”
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