Backlash Spreads to Former Athletes as Kaori Sakamoto and Ami Nakai Emerge as Rising TV Stars Ahead of the Milan–Cortina Olympics

Signs of a shift in the athlete–talent power map

The “Rikuryu” pair, Riku Miura (24) and Ryuichi Kihara (33), scored the highest free program score in world history and won the gold medal in a comeback victory. They quickly became in high demand across the media, but the value of Kihara’s former partner, Narumi Takahashi (34), whose commentary at the Milan–Cortina Olympics became a hot topic for bringing people to tears, is also rapidly rising.

“Takahashi retired from active competition in 2018. She joined ‘Shochiku Geino’ in 2020 and transitioned into a talent. Her charm lies in the gap between her childlike, pure character and her intelligence as someone who can speak eight languages. She has rich emotional expression and frequently delivers powerful phrases that become on-screen captions, and she has both a professional and viewer’s perspective, so she’s often called the female version of Shuzo Matsuoka,” (production company director).

By making her face and name known nationwide through the Olympics, it seems she will receive a wide range of job offers beyond sports.

“In recent times, she had more opportunities to appear on variety shows, but after the Milan–Cortina Olympics, she’s been the talk of the town. Her reactions during location shoots and food reports on ‘Banana Man no Sekkaku Gourmet!!’ (TBS) were excellent. She seems very useful for shoots involving interactions with the general public. Even though she has an anime-like voice, it’s easy to understand, so she could also succeed as a voice actress,” (key network producer).

Among the Milan–Cortina Olympic group, figure skater Kaori Sakamoto (25) is also drawing strong attention.

“She’s so bright that Kihara even described her as a noisy sun, and she has strong communication skills. She’s well-suited for variety shows. She herself seems to want to become a coach, but she has buzz, and many talent agencies and TV professionals are aiming to sign her. Ami Nakai (17), who is young and has an idol-like way of expressing herself, is likely to be flooded with modeling jobs,” (same production company director as above).

With the rise of the Milan–Cortina Olympic group, the battle for survival among former athlete talents is likely to intensify.

“The one most affected by the backlash might be Kanako Murakami (31). She has name recognition, but nothing particularly distinctive. It would be more interesting if she leaned fully into a natural, airheaded character, but in that category, Karina Maruyama (42) stands out ahead. Maruyama’s strength is that she can also market herself as part of a couple. Judging from her regular appearance on ‘Love It!’ (TBS), her ability to handle live broadcasts is outstanding,” (broadcast writer).

Among former athlete talents, the aging of male talents from the J.League is becoming an urgent issue. The previously mentioned key network producer notes, “Physically demanding programs like ‘Run for Money’ (Fuji TV) are tough for them. They may lose out to the younger Milan–Cortina group,” and adds, “Talents specializing in ‘street location shoots’ are also in trouble.”

“The strength of Olympians is that they are recognized by a wide range of age groups regardless of region. This becomes an advantage in street location shoots. Since making prior arrangements with shops is often criticized as staged, many programs obtain filming permission on the spot. With likable Olympians, many shops are willing to cooperate even in unannounced, real negotiations. For a TV industry facing reduced time and budgets, they are a valuable presence.”

Will a national star emerge from the Milan–Cortina Olympic group?

From “FRIDAY” March 27–April 3, 2026 combined issue.