Yuna Aoki: “I guess I’ll have to think about it again. I’m really sorry I can’t say coolly, like everyone else, ‘I’ll continue next year.’ But I want to decide at my own pace.”
Yuna Aoki, who was second after the short program, made a come-from-behind victory to win the Four Continents Championships.
original source: Nikkansports 23d January 2026 by Katsube Kota
Yuna Aoki (24) claimed her first major international gold medal at the Four Continents Championships, setting personal bests and leading a Japanese sweep of the women’s podium. Here’s a translation of her comments.
At 24, she became the oldest Japanese winner of this event. With a free skate score of 145.98 and a total of 217.39 points, she updated her personal bests in both the free skate and overall, and earning her first major international medal — a gold.
Aoki beamed, “I can only say it’s truly unbelievable. It really feels like a dream. I was only focused on performing my own program, so to have these results follow is just full of surprise and happiness.” She admitted that the cheers after her performance made her feel reassured, wondering, “Was it really good?” but she hadn’t expected to surpass her personal best by such a margin. Regarding the moment her victory was confirmed, she playfully recalled, “My eyesight has gotten so bad lately that I was like, ‘Is this really correct?’ I almost wanted to rub my eyes to make sure.”
After the 2024 Nationals, Aoki had hinted at retirement and has often wavered between continuing and ending her competitive career. Reflecting on her win, she smiled, “I guess I’ll have to think about it again.” She added, “It feels like I’ve been worrying about this for years. I’m really sorry I can’t say coolly, like everyone else, ‘I’ll continue next year.’ But I want to decide at my own pace.”
Ami Nakai finished second with 215.78 points, and Mone Chiba was third with 202.23 points. This marks the first Japanese sweep of the women’s podium at the Four Continents Championships in eight events, since the 2018 tournament (Champion: Kaori Sakamoto, 2nd: Mai Mihara, 3rd: Satoko Miyahara).
Related topics: Four Continents Championships, Yuna Aoki
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