Kaori Sakamoto has announced retirement and, unexpectedly, marriage during her retirement press conference in Kobe in mid-May 2026. She stated that she registered her marriage on May 5 and said her husband is not involved in figure skating.
Latest updates
- Retirement: Sakamoto confirmed she will retire from competitive figure skating after the 2026 season, concluding a career that included multiple world titles and Olympic medals. This aligns with statements she made about stepping away after Milan-Cortina 2026.
- Marriage: She revealed she recently got married, and that the marriage was registered on May 5. The announcement came at the end of her retirement press conference, which drew considerable public and media attention.
Context and impact
- Public reaction: The dual nature of the announcement—retirement plus marriage—made the event one of the week’s top sports stories, with many outlets highlighting the personal milestone alongside her competitive legacy.
- Personal details: She described her husband as a peer not connected to skating and noted they met during university. This helps explain the personal dimension of the news in the broader narrative of her career transition.
If you’d like, I can pull the latest English-language coverage from specific outlets (e.g., Kyodo News, Japan Times) and summarize key quotes or provide a timeline of her career highlights leading up to the 2026 retirement.
Sources
Find out how the four-time Olympic medallist's official retirement press conference quickly turned into an announcement of her marriage. The Japanese star said she tied the knot on 5 May.
www.olympics.comAt her retirement press conference, Olympic medalist Kaori Sakamoto announced her marriage, revealing she wed a university classmate on May 5.
fs-gossips.comKaori Sakamoto said at her retirement news conference in Kobe that she had recently married, adding a personal note to the end of one of Japanese figure skating’s most decorated careers. The 26-year-old said she registered the marriage on May 5. “This is a personal matter, but I got married recently,” Sakamoto said at the event. She said her husband is the same age as her, is not connected to figure skating and that the two met while she was in university.
www.mogazmasr.comJapanese figure skating star Kaori Sakamoto called her decorated career "a priceless time" as the four-time world champion held her retirement press conference on Wednesday.
english.kyodonews.netKaori Sakamoto made her sakamoto kaori retirement marriage announcement at a retirement news conference in Kobe, saying she had recently gotten married. The 26-year-old figure skater said she registered the marriage on May 5, turning a farewell event into a personal milestone.Kobe news conferenceNea…
www.el-balad.comThe 2026 world champion revealed the personal news during her retirement news conference.
www.japantimes.co.jpIn a heartfelt news conference held in Kobe, Kaori Sakamoto, one of Japan's most celebrated figure skaters, announced her retirement from competitive skating,
news.ssbcrack.comDiscover why Kaori Sakamoto’s surprise marriage reveal at her retirement press conference has fans asking about her mystery husband.
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