“We had talked about this season being their last, so we encouraged each other to do our best until the end.” Kaori Sakamoto on Miura/Kihara
Kaori Sakamoto, silver medalist at the Milano-Cortina Olympics, held a retirement press conference in Kobe, reflecting on her career and her connection with the Miura/Kihara pair, who also retired this season.
original source: sponichi.co.jp dd. 13th May 2026
Kaori Sakamoto (26), the silver medalist in women’s figure skating at the Milano-Cortina Olympics, held her retirement press conference in Kobe on the 13th. Here’s a translation of her comments.
The Miura/Kihara pair, known as “RikuRyu,” who became the first Japanese pair to win gold at the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics, also retired in the same season. Regarding RikuRyu, Sakamoto revealed, “I had heard for quite some time that they were planning to retire, though I didn’t know when it would be announced in the news. We had talked about this season being their last, so we encouraged each other to do our best until the end.”
After the individual free skate at the Olympics, the three gathered together. “We all said, ‘It’s finally over!’ Everyone looked so refreshed, with no regrets at all,” Sakamoto recalled. She also commented on watching RikuRyu’s retirement press conference on TV: “It was just like them. I found myself laughing when (Ryuichi) Kihara was crying. I truly watched with a feeling of ‘thank you for your hard work.’” When asked if the three had plans to spend time together after retirement, she replied, “We haven’t made any plans yet.”
Related topics: Kaori Sakamoto, Riku Miura Ryuichi Kihara
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