“It means so much that the three of us competed together at the Olympics.” and “If not for Kagiyama and Miura, I wouldn’t be where I’m today. They are my closest friends and toughest rivals.” Yuma Kagiyama and Shun Sato
Yuma Kagiyama and Shun Sato reflect on their silver and bronze medal victories at the 2026 Milan Olympics during a press conference. The two Japanese figure skaters highlighted the importance of teamwork, perseverance, and their close bond with fellow competitor Kao Miura.
original source: Hochi News dd. 15th February 2026
Yuma Kagiyama, who secured his second consecutive Olympic silver in men’s singles figure skating, and Shun Sato, who claimed bronze, spoke at a press conference in Milan on February 14 following their medal-winning performances. Here’s a translation of their comments.
Reflecting on his accomplishment, Kagiyama said, “I earned medals in both the team and individual events. The team silver was the result of everyone’s best performances, and I’m incredibly happy – it showcased the bonds and teamwork of Team Japan. As for the individual event, I made mistakes in my free skate, mixing feelings of frustration with my silver medal. However, I gave it my all until the very end, and I felt that challenging myself held great meaning.”
Sato, who made a stunning comeback from ninth place in the short program to claim bronze, expressed his disbelief at the achievement: “It feels truly unreal. I’m so happy that I could achieve my goal of winning a medal. In the team event, I skated last, under immense pressure, but I’m glad I could perform a clean program in response to the support from my teammates.”
The Japanese team’s double podium finish marks the third consecutive Olympics with such an achievement, continuing a streak that began at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games. The skaters shared their gratitude for competing alongside each other and Miura, a childhood rival and friend. Kagiyama said, “It means so much that the three of us competed together at the Olympics. Each of us worked toward our own goals and gave our best performances. Being able to share the podium with Sato made the experience feel real. We’ve each dealt with injuries and hardships at different points in our journeys, but the fact that it led to success here on this stage makes me incredibly happy. I want to push myself to become stronger so I can see even more incredible views in the future.”
Sato echoed his teammate’s sentiment: “The three of us have trained and pushed each other since we were kids. If not for Kagiyama and Miura, I wouldn’t be where I am today. They are my closest friends and toughest rivals, and I want to keep training and competing at the highest level with them. Standing on the podium with Kagiyama made me proud, and I hope we can keep striving for greatness together.”
Related topics: Kao Miura, Olympic Games, Shun Sato, Yuma Kagiyama
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