“The time has finally come. I haven’t tried it yet, so first I want to get a feel for it,” Shun Sato plans to start practicing quad axel with a harness at the end of May
Shun Sato, who won bronze at both the Olympics and Worlds, encouraged new employees at his sponsor’s company ceremony to embrace challenges, reflecting on his own journey and his ongoing pursuit of the quad Axel.
original source: Nikkansports 2d April March 2026 by Daisuke Fujitsuka
Shun Sato (22), who won bronze medals at both the Milan-Cortina Olympics in February and the World Championships in March, attended the entrance ceremony for his sponsor Aim Services in Yokohama. Here’s a translation of his comments.
Addressing about 500 new employees of the same age, he said, “I think this will be a year of challenges for all of you. I also want to take on new challenges this year, so let’s do our best together.”
“Opportunities like this are rare, so I was happy and had fun. Being with the new employees made me want to work hard together with them, and I’m even more motivated to aim higher next season,” he said, feeling energized.
When asked by the press for a message to the new employees, Sato emphasized the importance of maintaining a spirit of challenge: “I think it’s important to always have the desire to take on challenges. Everyone must have felt that way at the beginning.” Although this season was a breakthrough for him, he revealed that during times when things weren’t going well, he would recall “how it felt when I first landed a jump.”
“I was able to land the axel and quad toe loop six or seven years ago. I remind myself of what it felt like when I first landed them and think, ‘There’s no way I’ll lose the ability to do them.’ That’s the mindset I have.”
This attitude also applies to his challenges for next season. Sato has long declared his intention to attempt the ultra-difficult quad axel, which would be a first for a Japanese skater if successful. With Rio Nakata, who will move up to seniors next season, also eager to take on the challenge, Sato said, “It feels nostalgic,” recalling his own early days.
“When I was a novice, I used to compete with athletes like Haruya Sasaki and Nozomi Yoshioka to see who could land the axel first. I think that kind of spirit is really important, and I’ve talked about it with Nakata as well. I hope we can both stay injury-free and inspire each other.”
He plans to use a harness at his Saitama Ice Arena base at the end of May to get a feel for the jump, saying, “I want to do it in a way that avoids injury.”
“The time has finally come,” he said with determination. “I haven’t tried it yet, so first I want to get a feel for it,” he added, saying he plans to start practicing with a harness at the end of May. “I want to keep growing for next season as well,” Sato said
When reporters suggested “cooking for himself” as an off-ice challenge, he smiled and said, “That’s actually a good idea.” Asked what he’d like to cook, he replied, “Hamburg steak, maybe. Oh, is that difficult? I really like it.”
Sato remains enrolled at Meiji University this year. Having focused on skating for the Milan Olympics, he now aims to devote himself to his studies as well, saying, “I want to balance university and skating.” He added, “Now that I’m at the age of a working adult, I want to make sure I’m responsible in areas outside of skating, too.”
Related topics: Shun Sato
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