“This season, I was aiming for the Olympics, but I wasn’t able to achieve results that would lead into next season.” Tatsuya Tsuboi announced his retirement from competitive figure skating
Tatsuya Tsuboi announced his retirement from competitive figure skating.
original source: Nikkansports 20th. December 2025
Tatsuya Tsuboi (23) announced his retirement from competitive figure skating after the free skate at the Japanese Nationals, reflecting on his career and future plans. Here’s a translation of his comments posted on Nikkansports.
Speaking to the press after the free skate, he explained, “This season, I was aiming for the Olympics, but I wasn’t able to achieve results that would lead into next season.” He revealed that he made the decision to retire “today.”
Tsuboi finished third at last year’s championships and was selected for the World Championships team. However, this season he struggled, failing to reach the podium in his two Grand Prix Series events.
In the free skate on this day, he fell on both of his opening quadruple jumps, scoring 132.91 points in the free and totaling 207.43 points overall.
After his performance, Tsuboi said, “I think this is the right place to end. I’ve decided to retire at the end of this season.” Despite a series of mistakes in the free skate, he reflected, “For the first time in my life, I was able to enjoy skating. This is my current ability. I did everything I could. I just wanted to savor this atmosphere so I wouldn’t have any regrets.”
Tsuboi had taken a leave of absence from Kobe University this season to focus on his goal of making the Milan-Cortina Olympics. He now plans to return to school and pursue graduate studies. Last season, he finished third at the Japanese Nationals and was considered a candidate for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympic team. On the day he decided to retire, Tsuboi said, “This year of challenging for the Olympics was not wasted. I feel like I gave it my all.”
Related topics: Tatsuya Tsuboi
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