<figure id="attachment_456734" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 1804px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-456734"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="7ef62d2f"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/02/6a0660a5d943efb49725c728b4fd8499.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-456734" class="wp-caption-text">At her first on-site practice on the 3rd, Kaori Sakamoto had the competition rink all to herself for 30 minutes, calling it a luxurious time and clearly delighted.</figcaption></figure>
<h2>Kaori Sakamoto (25) – Women’s Figure Skating</h2>
February 18, 2:45 – Short Program
February 20, 3:00 – Free Skate
She doesn’t possess a major element like the triple Axel. Even so, few doubt that Kaori Sakamoto is the world’s top figure skater. What is the source of her strength? Professional skater and commentator Takahito Mura explains:
“Modern figure skating is all about minimizing mistakes while racking up points with big elements. In other words, mistakes are inevitable, and jumps make up for them.
However, Sakamoto, while lacking a triple Axel, is a skater who accumulates high-quality elements with almost no mistakes, steadily earning points for execution. Achieving this requires extraordinary core strength, which is precisely her greatest asset.”
In June last year, Sakamoto announced she would retire at the end of the 2025–26 season. This Olympics will be her final challenge.
“She definitely has the ability to reach the podium. But this competition is fiercely contested, with strong rivals such as Russia’s Adeliia Petrosyan (18), competing as a neutral athlete, and America’s Amber Glenn (26). I hope Sakamoto uses her signature beautiful landings to aim for the top of the world.”
Having been queen of every major event—World Championships, Grand Prix Final, Four Continents—Sakamoto seeks the final piece: Olympic gold. Can she finish her career with a perfect ending?
From FRIDAY, February 20–27, 2026 combined issue.

 Hiroyuki Komatsu Kyodo News Yohei Nagata/Afro Sports Reuters/Afro

 She may not have the greatest moves, but she is the best figure skater in the world, and the source of her strength is.... She announced her retirement, and this Olympics was her last challenge. Will she be able to become the queen of all major competitions and finish her career with a gold medal at the Olympics?

Kaori Sakamoto Completes the Picture with Stunning Landings on Ice

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