Rinka Watanabe: “I was thinking about retiring at the end of this season. But maybe this means I should keep going. I want to take time to sort out my feelings and decide what to do next.”
Rinka Watanabe delivered a strong free skate at the Japanese Nationals, landing two triple axels.
original source: Nikkansports 21st. December 2025 / sponichi.co.jp 21st December 2025
Rinka Watanabe delivered a strong free skate at the All-Japan Championships, landing two triple axels and finishing with a total score of 211.52 points, leaving her future in competition undecided. Here’s a translation of her comments posted on Nikkansports.
Rinka Watanabe (23), who was sixth after the short program, scored 140.16 in the free skate for a total of 211.52 points and finished seventh overall.
She successfully landed two triple axels in her free program.
Watanabe landed all seven of her jumps, completing her program, and after her performance, she collapsed to her knees, overcome with emotion.
After her performance, Watanabe said, “I was thinking about retiring at the end of this season. But maybe this means I should keep going. If I aim for the Olympics, I’d want to continue for another four years,” revealing her mixed feelings about her future.
She added, “If I can stick to my convictions until the day my dream comes true… I want to take time to sort out my feelings and decide what to do next.”
Related topics: Rinka Watanabe
I feel she was robbed.