“She’s powerful, but also possesses delicacy. She’s always a wonderful, unpretentious person. Both as a person and as a skater, she’s someone I admire and aspire to be like” Yuma Kagiyama on Kaori Sakamoto
Yuma Kagiyama, a two-time Olympic silver medalist, expressed deep admiration for Kaori Sakamoto, reflecting on her unique strength, authenticity, and the lessons he learned from her as a fellow team leader.
original source: Nikkansports 13th May 2026 by Katsube Kota / Nikkansports 13th May
Here’s a translation of his comments posted on Nikkansports.
At the Milan Olympics, Yuma Kagiyama, alongside Kaori Sakamoto, was a central member of the Japanese team that won silver in the team event, and he also placed second individually for the second consecutive Games. Kagiyama is one of the skaters who admires Sakamoto the most, he has long declared himself her fan, “She’s powerful, but also possesses delicacy. She created programs that only Kaori could perform.”
However, it was only in recent years that he truly realized the essence of her greatness. After Yuzuru Hanyu and Shoma Uno retired from competition and Kagiyama himself became known as the “ace,” he finally understood the immense tension and responsibility Sakamoto bore behind her brilliant achievements.
“I realized just what she was up against.” The pain of constantly being expected to win, the pressure of being seen as someone who must always succeed, and the atmosphere where even the slightest mistake was not tolerated. Yet, Sakamoto never complained and always remained cheerful around others. “I don’t think it was ever something to be taken for granted,” he said, deeply appreciating her radiant presence.
Sakamoto never directly told him on how to be an ace, but her attitude taught him everything. In the past, Kagiyama tried to act out the ideal of what an ace should be and made many mistakes, but watching Sakamoto, he saw that she was always true to herself, no matter the situation. Even at the Milan Olympics, she never hid her joy or her tears. “Kaori-chan was always just Kaori-chan. I think that was her greatest strength.” The importance of being true to oneself and staying authentic – he doesn’t know how many times he was encouraged and inspired by her.
On the same day, Kaori Sakamoto held her retirement press conference and made a surprise announcement about her marriage. Kagiyama, who watched the press conference stream, said, “She’s always a wonderful, unpretentious person. Both as a person and as a skater, she’s someone I admire and aspire to be like. Her retirement is a little sad, but I want to work even harder so I can become someone like Sakamoto.” He also noted that Sakamoto registered her marriage on May 5, which is also his birthday. “I actually heard about her marriage before everyone else. I knew she registered on May 5. I was really surprised,” he said with a smile, offering his congratulations.
Related topics: Kaori Sakamoto, Yuma Kagiyama
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