Kaori Sakamoto: “Positive thinking draws good fortune.”
Kaori Sakamoto about about positivity and Olympics.
original source: number.bunshun.jp dd. 5th May 2024
A special talk show, ‘The Queen of Ice: The View from the Top,’ was held featuring Kaori Sakamoto, who achieved the first-ever three consecutive wins by a Japanese figure skater at the World Championships. Sportswriter Mie Noguchi asked Kaori plenty of questions. Here’s a translation of some of Kaori Sakamoto’s comments.
In the interview, they’ve touched upon 2018 Olympic Games. Sakamoto made her debut as a senior in the 2017 Pyeongchang Olympic season. But her name and photo were not included in the media’s list of potential team members. ‘I found it really frustrating… I was listed only in some media but without a photo… I was determined to work really hard,’ Kaori recalled, motivating herself.
Even though, Kaori’s shape wasn’t the best at the start of the season, journalist Noguchi, who also served as the MC, received some unexpected comment from Sakamoto’s coach Sonoko Nakano, “Kaori is going for it.” When Noguchi brought this up, “Coach Nakano must have seen the potential in your earnest attitude and amount of practice,” during the talk show, Sakamoto’s eyes widened in surprise, and she joyfully crumpled her face saying, “Wow, coach is incredible, incredible!” and “That’s scary.”
Another unforgettable quote Noguchi recalled from a past interview with Sakamoto was her belief that her positive approach to everything ultimately changes her own destiny. Kaori then said, “Positive thinking draws good fortune.”
Her positivity was on full display at the 2024 World Championships as well, where she managed to keep her pace steady despite coming in at a surprising fourth place in the short program. “I can forget about it as soon as I go to sleep. When I wake up in the morning, I feel refreshed. I was worried about the short, but only the free remained, so I felt easier, much more positive, and was able to get in the groove.”
When asked about her ambitions for the 2026 Milan/Cortina Olympics, Sakamoto replied emphatically, “I’d like to make the 2024-25 season a stepping stone for the Olympics. I will convert the emergence of young competitors into motivation, and give it my all!!”
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