"Actually, I got married last week." 女 Surprise announcement at figure skating superstar's retirement press conference

*This content was translated by AI.

Japanese women's figure skating star Kaori Sakamoto (26), who won four medals at the Olympics, made headlines by unexpectedly announcing her marriage during her retirement press conference.

According to Japanese media outlets including Nikkan Sports, Sakamoto said at the end of a press conference held at a hotel in Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture, her hometown, on the 13th, "Although it is a personal matter, I got married recently. I completed the marriage registration on May 5," surprising those present.

Her partner is not someone from the skating world but a regular person, and Sakamoto shared that they are the same age and met during university. She said, "He is truly the opposite of me and is someone who always thinks calmly. He never forgets joy and does fun things together," smiling happily.

Daily Sports reported that Sakamoto's husband visited the site to cheer for her during the February Milan-Cortina d'Ampezzo Winter Olympics. Sakamoto said, "He keeps saying things that make me feel like he's fighting alongside me. I thought that was a bit different from others," and expressed her trust, adding, "While living together, he has come to understand figure skating and has always supported me from behind."

Sakamoto, who finished sixth in women's singles at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, her first senior season, is a Japanese figure skating superstar who won a team silver medal and a singles bronze medal at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, and also secured silver medals in both singles and team events at this year's Milan-Cortina d'Ampezzo Olympics. At the World Figure Skating Championships, she achieved the most wins by a Japanese skater with four titles (2022–2024, 2026), and at the All-Japan Championships, she became champion six times in 2018 and from 2021 to 2025.

According to the Sankei Shimbun, Sakamoto reflected on her 21-year career, saying, "During my active years, I was swept up in many emotions through practice and competitions, and my mood fluctuated depending on the results. Now, seeing myself standing on the ice from an objective perspective as a non-competitor, I realized anew that 'working hard at practice itself was my youth.'"

Regarding her decision to retire even after winning gold at the World Championships last March, Sakamoto explained, "Since the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics ended, I had resolved that the following four years would be my last, so I had already made up my mind." She also expressed regret, saying, "The Olympics are the event where the desire not to make mistakes is most evident. In all three Olympics, I ended without being aggressive until the very end."

Sakamoto expressed gratitude toward her coach, Sonoko Nakano (73), who has guided her since she started figure skating at age four. She said, "My teacher always said, 'Let's aim for XX next,' setting goals that were reasonable even in my own view. Because she set goals that seemed achievable with effort, I was able to devote myself fully." She also encouraged future figure skating juniors, saying, "I look forward to next season with many skaters rising from the junior ranks."

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*This content was translated by AI.