Kaori Sakamoto: “Adeliia Petrosian didn’t attempt quad jumps during the qualifiers, but it’s obvious she’ll be landing them at the Olympics. I need to prepare myself mentally for what’s to come.”
Kaori Sakamoto Aims for Her Best in Final Competitive Season Before Retirement
original source: Nikkansports, October 1st, 2025 by Fujitsuka Daisuke
Kaori Sakamoto, who will retire at the end of the season, is determined to deliver her best performance at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. Here’s a translation of her comments posted on Nikkansports.
Kaori Sakamoto (25), who plans to retire after this season, has expressed her commitment to making the upcoming 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics the peak of her career. On October 1, a group of Japanese national figure skating representatives, including Sakamoto, attended a press conference in Tokyo ahead of the Grand Prix (GP) Series, which begins on October 17. As a former world champion, Sakamoto aims to showcase her prowess in this decisive season and secure a silver medal or higher at her final Games.
Sakamoto has chosen “Summary” as her theme for this season – a fitting term for her final competitive chapter. After winning bronze at the Beijing 2022 Olympics and capturing the World Championship title three times in a row (2022–2024), she plans to make Milan the culmination of her illustrious career.
“I’m fired up and ready to go. This is my last competitive season, and I want to give it my all,” Sakamoto declared passionately.
The intensity of her motivation grew after September’s Olympic Qualification Tournament (held in Beijing), where 18-year-old neutral athlete Adeliia Petrosyan (Russia) won the women’s event. While Russian skaters have been banned from international competition since 2022 due to the war in Ukraine, this will mark a return to direct competition with them at Milan.
Sakamoto, who reviewed Petrosyan’s performance via video, remarked:
“Her movements have incredible contrast and sharpness. She didn’t attempt quad jumps during the qualifiers, but it’s obvious she’ll be landing them aggressively at the Olympics. I need to prepare myself mentally for what’s to come.”
The road to Milan begins in earnest for Sakamoto with the Grand Prix Series opener, Internationaux de France (October 17–19). Last season, her GP debut yielded a total score of 201.21 points, but Sakamoto is now targeting scores above 220.
“I want people to notice improvement from the very first competition, saying, ‘She looks great this year.’ If I push myself as I always do, I believe I’ll get closer to the results I envision.”
Related topics: Adeliia Petrosian, Kaori Sakamoto
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