Kaori Sakamoto

[cohkaix]

Kaori is scheduled to compete in a local competition 'PI Free Skating Competition' today (FS only). This is going to be her very last domestic competition as well.

Result page here: https://www.jsfresults.com/non_resp...e_top.htm,local/2025-2026/fs/28/924/index.htm

 

[DizzyFrenchie]

Kaori Sakamoto is to skate the penultimate, for her penultimate competitive skate I hope that she'll be happy with this skate:

https://results.isu.org/results/season2526/wc2026/FSKWSINGLES-----------QUAL000100--_StartListwithTimes.pdf

 

[Arigato]

 

[DizzyFrenchie]

Congratulations to Kaori Sakamoto for her glorious Short Program, and first place into the Free, to crown her competitive career!

 

[macy]

Kaori's last ever competitive skate is today. i hope no matter what happens, she will be happy and proud of what she puts on the ice and most importantly enjoys herself. i truly hope she feels no pressure. she deserves it! thank you, thank you, thank you Kaori

 

[skatedreamer]

Who could resist those big smiles?

 

[kiimnu]

4x World Champion Kaori Sakamoto!!!!!!!

What a great way to end her competitive career!!!!

 

[crystalspin]

I haven't stopped crying, absolute perfection from Kaori. She has changed skating for the better and my gosh will she be missed. Congratulations on another well deserved gold medal and enjoy retirement!!

 

[yuumagical]

What a legendary free skate from Kaori! She has cemented her legacy as one of the best skaters ever with that...

 

[reneerose]

Ladies Press Conference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGuW6tl6U_Q

 

[decafjava]

Ladies Press Conference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGuW6tl6U_Q

I can't we will miss her!!

 

[cocteautwin]

Kaori's coronation

(from Yuna Nagaoka's IG)

 

[decafjava]

Kaori is leading the goodbye around the rink.

 

[CoyoteChris]

Classy!

 

[reader3]

All the best to Kaori. She's one of a kind.

 

[CoyoteChris]

Ladies Press Conference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGuW6tl6U_Q

Can you confirm this? Kaori was said on FB to make this comment pre short program.
"Since I was little, my parents sacrificed so much so that I could pursue figure skating. My father worked double shifts at the factory, and my mother took on extra housework to save money for skates, plane tickets, and coaching… There were winters in Kobe when our home barely had heating because everything was spent on me. They never asked for anything in return, quietly standing behind me, wiping my tears every time I fell, and smiling every time I got back up." At the pre–Short Program press conference

 

[CoyoteChris]

I hope the post quote in #736 is true but with the internet, you never know. I am hoping someone can verify it. Family sacrafices are tremendous. Sometimes, they pay off and the skater can reward their family by making them financially comfortable in retirement. (Rolex has not come forward to make a CoyoteChris Watch yet....WTH?)

 

[kiimnu]

I hope the post quote in #736 is true but with the internet, you never know. I am hoping someone can verify it. Family sacrafices are tremendous. Sometimes, they pay off and the skater can reward their family by making them financially comfortable in retirement. (Rolex has not come forward to make a CoyoteChris Watch yet....WTH?)

Hi! So, I tried to look for more info on it, but I couldn't find any reliable source that mentions those specific phrases. Her Wikipedia page doesn't have much info on her childhood apart from the fact that she started skating at an early age and that her hobbies are swimming and completing jigsaw puzzles. I also used Google Translate for Japanese search terms like "Kaori Sakamoto parents" and "Kaori Sakamoto childhood," but nothing comes up with those terms. I don't speak Japanese, so if there is any member who speaks Japanese/is well-versed in the Japanese culture, they probably might know more about it.

 

[CoyoteChris]

Hi! So, I tried to look for more info on it, but I couldn't find any reliable source that mentions those specific phrases. Her Wikipedia page doesn't have much info on her childhood apart from the fact that she started skating at an early age and that her hobbies are swimming and completing jigsaw puzzles. I also used Google Translate for Japanese search terms like "Kaori Sakamoto parents" and "Kaori Sakamoto childhood," but nothing comes up with those terms. I don't speak Japanese, so if there is any member who speaks Japanese/is well-versed in the Japanese culture, they probably might know more about it.

Thank you for your efforts....I dont know if there is anyone who can get a transcript of the pre short program news conference or if one even existed...I hope she would write an autobiography but those are kind of not the Japanese thing. Case in point. There never has been a real autobiography of Emp. Hirohito. The biographies run from any take you like. The Japanese govt published a 61 volume 12,000 page biography of him in 2014. The man is still shrouded in mystery. I did talk to a guy in the stands during an event practice who had two girls skating. I asked him , as a joke, if he was a doctor or a lawyer....he said "Jeweler". LOL!

 

[kiimnu]

Thank you for your efforts....I dont know if there is anyone who can get a transcript of the pre short program news conference or if one even existed...I hope she would write an autobiography but those are kind of not the Japanese thing. Case in point. There never has been a real autobiography of Emp. Hirohito. The biographies run from any take you like. The Japanese govt published a 61 volume 12,000 page biography of him in 2014. The man is still shrouded in mystery. I did talk to a guy in the stands during an event practice who had two girls skating. I asked him , as a joke, if he was a doctor or a lawyer....he said "Jeweler". LOL!

Unfortunately, I am not aware of the pre-short program news conference, so I wouldn't know whether a transcript for it existed.

Speaking of biographies, Daisuke Takahashi, Mao Asada, and Yuzuru Hanyu have all had biographies/autobiographies published, as far as I'm aware. But they are in Japanese without official translations, so it can be challenging to find fan translations unless the skater has a dedicated international fandom.

Kaori seems to be well-liked and quite popular among figure skating fans. I wouldn't be surprised if she decides to write one in the future.