<figure id="attachment_461513" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-461513" style="width: 1973px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="b48dcfd5"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/03/736f4ef9153b57ac1a3319c35e9ad768.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-461513" class="wp-caption-text">Sakamoto won the silver medal at the Cortina Olympics in Milan, which he positioned as the &#8220;culmination of his career!　Sakamoto returned to Japan on February 24 with a smile on his face. He has announced his retirement at the end of this season.</figcaption></figure>
<h2> Signs of change in the power structure of athlete talent</h2>
 The Rikuryu pair of Rirai Miura (24) and Ryuichi Kihara (33) won the gold medal in the free skate with the world&#8217;s highest score of all time. The pair immediately became a media sensation, but the stock of Kihara&#8217;s former partner, Narumi Takahashi (34), whose commentary at the Cortina Olympics in Milan &#8220;brought tears to my eyes,&#8221; has also skyrocketed.
 Takahashi retired in 2006. In 2008, she joined &#8216;Shochiku Entertainments&#8217; and became a TV personality. Her appeal lies in the gap between her pure, childlike character and a talented woman who can speak eight languages. She is rich in emotional expression and delivers a series of power words that become a ticker tape, and since she has both a professional and audience perspective, she is often called the &#8220;female version of Shuzo Matsuoka.
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 The director of a production company said, &#8220;Now that she has sold her face and name all over Japan through the Olympics, she is likely to receive a wide range of work in genres other than sports.
 Recently, there have been more and more opportunities for her to be invited to variety shows, but after the Milan Cortina Olympics, she has been the talk of the town. She was the talk of the town after the Milan Cortina Olympics. (TBS), her reaction to the city location and food report was wonderful. She seems to be useful on location where she interacts with the general public. Her voice is easy to understand even though it is an animated voice, so I think she could also work as a voice actor.
 Figure skater Kaori Sakamoto (25), a member of the Milan Cortina Olympics team, is also attracting a lot of attention.
 She is so bright and communicative that Kihara calls her &#8220;the noisy sun. She is a good communicator. She is suited to variety skating. Ami Nakai (17), who is young at 17 and has an idol-like facial expression, is likely to be inundated with modeling jobs,&#8221; said a production company director.
 With the rise of the Milan Cortina Olympics team, the battle for survival among former athlete talents is likely to intensify.
 Kanako Murakami, 31, is probably the one who will suffer the most. Kanako Murakami, 31, is well known, but she has no distinctive features. It would be interesting if she could swing more toward a natural character, but Maruyama Katsuraina (42) is a head and shoulders above the rest in terms of her innocent character. Maruyama&#8217;s strength lies in the fact that she can sell her husband and wife as a couple. As long as you watch her regular appearances on &#8220;Lovite! (TBS), in which they appear regularly, Maruyama&#8217;s ability to handle live broadcasts is also outstanding.
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 Among former athlete talents, the aging of male talent from the J-League is an urgent issue. A producer at a key station mentioned above said, &#8220;It is tough to work on physical fitness-related projects such as &#8216;Getaway&#8217; (Fuji TV). The young Milan Cortina group will probably take over,&#8221; said a producer at a key station.
 The strength of Olympians is that their faces are known to people of all ages, regardless of region. This is their advantage when they are on location in the city. Many programs ask for permission to film on the spot because if you make an appointment with the store in advance, you will be slammed as a &#8220;fake,&#8221; but if you are a highly likable Olympian, many stores will cooperate with filming even if you negotiate with them without an appointment. For the TV industry, which is facing cutbacks in both time and budget, they are a welcome sight.&#8221;
 Will a national talent be born from the Milan Cortina Olympics group?
 From the March 27/April 3, 2026 issue of FRIDAY

 Kumataro Arai

 What are the strengths of Olympians who are useful on location in the city? A Change in the Power Structure of Former Athletes. Narumi Takahashi (34), the "Riku-ryu" commentator, has emerged as the "female version of Shuzo Matsuoka," and Kaori Sakamoto (25) is also inundated with variety offers.

Some former athletes are getting agitated… Ami Nakai on Kaori Sakamoto: “From the Milan Cortina Olympics to the Birth of a TV Star!

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