Kaori Sakamoto: “I felt it’d be better to finish cleanly rather than dragging on for two or three more years. If I were to aim for the 2030 Olympics, I’d be 29 – it feels impossible.”
Kaori Sakamoto announces retirement following the Milano-Cortina Olympic season.
original source: Hochi News dd. June 20th 2025 / Hochi News dd. June 21st 2025 by Tomabari Moeka
Kaori Sakamoto (25), an Olympic bronze medalist at the 2022 Beijing Games and three-time consecutive World Champion from 2022 to 2024, revealed on June 20 that she will retire from competitive skating after the 2025–26 season. Speaking at the opening ceremony of her new training base, Sysmex Kobe Ice Campus, in her hometown of Kobe, Sakamoto shared her reasons for the decision and her goals for her final year on the ice. Here’s a translation of her comments.
Q: This season marks a culmination of your career. How do you feel as it begins?
Kaori Sakamoto: With choreography for both the short program (SP) and free skate completed, it feels like the real journey is starting now. Before I know it, the Challenger Series will be here, then the Grand Prix (GP) Series, and before I realize it, it’ll already be the Japan Nationals. But as always, I’ll stay in my ‘combat mode,’ remain true to myself, and give it my all – naturally, the results will follow.”
Q: What kind of season are you aiming for?
Kaori Sakamoto: I want to give everything I’ve built up until now. I’ll keep my ‘combat mode’ mindset throughout the season, ensuring I finish every competition without regrets. I want to strive for perfection more than ever before.
Q: What are your thoughts on starting an Olympic season?
Kaori Sakamoto: Before I know it, it’s only eight months until the Olympics, and just six months until the Japan Nationals. Time feels so short. I want to focus as much as I can on making the most of every single day – if I do that, I trust it’ll lead to the result I want.
Q: What’s your state of mind heading into this season?
Kaori Sakamoto: I feel like my competitive career has less than a year left. Keeping that in mind, I finalized my programs in May and June, deciding on these as the routines I’ll compete with. But if I don’t set new goals for myself beyond this season, I feel like I might lose my drive. While I’m preparing for what comes next, I’ve also resolved this will be my final competitive season.
Q: Why did you decide to retire now?
Kaori Sakamoto: There’s no specific reason, but I felt it’d be better to finish cleanly rather than dragging on for two or three more years. If I were to aim for the 2030 Olympics, I’d be 29 – it feels impossible. So I decided to draw the line at 26.
Q: Are there advantages to deciding this will be your last season?
Kaori Sakamoto: In my second career, I want to work as a coah. To teach well, I need to achieve strong results now and draw attention to skating from Kobe towards the rest of the world. In this short year, I want to do all I can during my competitive career and create positive momentum for myself.
Q: Did you reach this decision quickly?
Kaori Sakamoto: It was a very snap decision – it felt like the right time (laughs). Since last season, when I said I’d likely wrap things up in two years, I’d already felt more certain about it.
Olympic Goals and Reflection on a Strong Career
Speaking with a smile, she also revealed her ambitions for her retirement season:
“My goal for the Olympics is to take silver [medals] or higher in both the team and individual events.”
While focused on the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics, she emphasized that earning a spot on the Olympic team via the Japan Nationals in December remains a critical step. Her new training base, Sysmex Kobe Ice Campus, close to her former middle school, will play a pivotal role:
“It’s the perfect environment. If I don’t deliver results, it’ll feel unacceptable,” Sakamoto said, acknowledging the support she receives from the state-of-the-art rink, Kobe’s first year-round facility.
Programs for Her Final Season
Sakamoto’s short program will be “Time to Say Goodbye,” while her free skate will feature “Hymne à l’amour” (Hymn to Love), a piece famously used by her idol Akiko Suzuki in her retirement season.
“I absolutely wanted to use this music for my final competition season – it holds such special meaning.”
Known for her powerful skating style, Sakamoto has been a dominant force in figure skating. She placed 6th at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games, earned bronze in the individual event and silver in the team event at the 2022 Beijing Games, and claimed three consecutive World Championship titles from 2022 to 2024.
However, age and physical challenges influenced her decision to retire: “Since turning 20, every year has been a battle with a body that moves less and less as I want it to.”
Sakamoto reflected on her plan to originally retire after competing at both Pyeongchang and Beijing while finishing university, explaining how the twists and turns in her journey have shaped her:
“Things didn’t go as planned – taking a break wasn’t in the original script either. But those detours weren’t bad. Last season gave me unexpected joy, like my first Grand Prix title and clearing away doubts I carried from seven years ago at Worlds. All those experiences have pushed me beyond what I imagined for myself.”
Kaori Sakamoto, who has decided to retire after the upcoming Milano-Cortina Olympic season, shared aspirations for her post-skating career as a coach. “I want to bring more athletes from Kobe to the global stage,” she stated, envisioning a future where the next generation of figure skaters flourishes with her guidance.
Related topics: Kaori Sakamoto
In a sense, I can understand. Participating in three olympics… it’s already amazing. She seems at peace with her decision. Why not ?