Sakamoto Retires From Figure Skating

May 14, 2026 | News On Japan

TOKYO - Figure skater Kaori Sakamoto held a retirement press conference in her hometown of Kobe, where she also revealed that she married in May.

Sakamoto said during the conference, "I would like to take this opportunity to share one more piece of news. This is a personal matter, but I recently got married."

Regarding her husband, Sakamoto explained that he is the same age as her and someone she met during her university years, adding that he is not involved in the figure skating world.

Sakamoto enjoyed a 21-year career in figure skating and won four medals at the Winter Olympics. At the beginning of the press conference, she expressed gratitude to those involved in her career as well as to her fans, reflecting on her years as an active athlete by saying that dedicating herself fully to training had felt like "the essence of youth."

Looking ahead, Sakamoto said she plans to appear in ice shows and work as a coach to help develop the next generation of skaters.

Source: テレ東BIZ

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