Kaori Sakamoto: “This year, both good and bad things have occurred, and I was able to ‘accumulate’ learnings like, ‘Ah, this is how I should do it.'”
Kaori Sakamoto about winning national title for the fourth time.
original source: number.bunshun.jp dd. 24th December 2024 by Takaomi Matsubara
In the article posted on Sports Graphic Number Web, Kaori Sakamoto talks about winning her forth national title. Here’s a translation of her comments.
Before her performance, she mentioned that she was “breathing heavily” due to nerves. “But I had calmed down by the time the music started, so I was quite composed during the actual performance,” Kaori told.
When Coach Nakano said, “Only Kaori can achieve a four-peat,” what she thought was, “‘Indeed.’ I felt calm, almost indifferent about it. I wasn’t specifically aiming for a four-peat. I wanted to win, but the focus wasn’t really on achieving four consecutive titles.”
She explained her reasons, “Before the season started, I wanted to think about this season and the next as a continuous two-year period. Last season, the pinnacle was the World Championships, and the goal was to perform well there for the three-peat. But the ultimate goal is the Olympics, which is still just a milestone along the way.”
With the victory at Nationals, she secured a spot in the team for Worlds. This competition also affects the Japanese spots for the Olympics. “If that’s decided, then I’ll feel motivated to be part of those three spots for the next season, which is very important to me.”
When asked, “If you were to represent this year with a single kanji character?” after some thought, Sakamoto answered: “‘Tsumu’ (accumulate). I have the experience up until now, and this season has also been one where I’ve taken on various challenges and accumulated many experiences, and it’s a season where past experiences have come into play. This year, both good and bad things have occurred, and I was able to ‘accumulate’ learnings like, ‘Ah, this is how I should do it.'”
People who say she keeps winning just because the russians don’t compete anymore say nonsense – she’s clearly the best even among japanese figure skaters !!!