#Kaori Sakamoto “I was able to overcome this really difficult nationals and win the championship, so I want to compete at the Olympics again with the mental strength to surpass that.” #Figure Skating

“There were times when I thought, “I kind of want to take a day off today,” but even so, I’m surprised that I was able to continue this long by getting yelled at every day, crying, fighting, and practicing every day.I think it’s not only happy experiences, but also pain, regret, and many other things that make you feel happier, so I think the 21 years that I’ve been through so many joys, angers, and sorrows have been a rainbow of colors. Since I was able to overcome this really tough All-Japan competition and win, I will be able to take on the challenge once again (at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics) with even more mental strength than I did today, and give a performance that will make me think, “I have no regrets now, I’ve done it.” I want to do this for another month and a half, so every time I ask myself, “Is this really the way I want to end it?” If I think, “This isn’t good enough,” then I’ll motivate myself and do my best, and if I can do a performance that I’m completely satisfied with and think, “I have no regrets,” then I’ll be OK.” ── Kaori Sakamoto (94th All Japan Figure Skating Championships Winner / 5th consecutive victory) #Olympic #MilanoCortina2026 #Courage to take a step forward together #TEAMJAPAN #Ganbare Nippon (excerpt from medalist press conference comments) #TEAMJAPAN #TEAMJAPANTV 🇯🇵 Follow TEAMJAPAN official SNS🇯🇵 ■X https://twitter.com/TeamJapan ■Instagram https://www.instagram.com/teamjapanjoc/ ■TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@japan_olympic ■LINE https://page.line.me/team_japan #RISINGTOGETHER #GanbareNippon