Tatsuya Tsuboi: “After last year’s Nationals, there were articles about my retirement, but I have decided to take a break next season instead. I’ve lived a life centered on skating until now, so I also want to see another side of myself.”
Tatsuya Tsuboi, who had announced his retirement from competitive figure skating, has decided to take a break instead and will continue training while pursuing graduate studies.
original source: Nikkansports 27th March 2026
In men’s figure skating, Tatsuya Tsuboi (23), who had previously announced his retirement at the end of this season, declared on the 27th that he is retracting his retirement. Here’s a translation of his comments.
Tsuboi made a statement through the official Instagram of his sponsor, Sysmex.
“Thank you always for your support! I recently graduated from Kobe University,” he reported, adding, “I’d also like to update you on my future plans.” He continued, “After last year’s Nationals, there were articles about my retirement, but I have decided to take a break next season instead.”
“This season, I took a leave of absence from university to focus on skating. After Nationals, I felt like I had given everything to skating, but I also started to wonder if I could do a bit more, and whether it was really okay to end things here. Those feelings grew stronger,” he confessed, explaining his change of heart. “On the other hand, because I’ve lived a life centered on skating until now, I also want to see another side of myself and explore other possibilities, so I decided to take a break.”
“I’m truly grateful to all the friends, seniors, and coaches who listened to me as I made this decision,” he said. “From April, I’ll be entering graduate school and will continue to train as much as possible while focusing on my research. I look forward to performing in front of everyone again, and as both a student and a skater, I’ll keep striving for greater heights! Thank you so much for all your support this season!!”
He concluded with a message of encouragement for his teammate Kaori Sakamoto and others competing at Worlds: “Kaori-chan’s final performance as a competitor is coming up! Let’s all cheer for the World Championships together with all our might.”
Related topics: Tatsuya Tsuboi
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