Kaori Sakamoto, the Olympic silver medalist in women’s figure skating at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Games and one of the world’s top skaters, revealed her marriage during a retirement press conference on Wednesday. The announcement came as a surprise to the media gathered at the event.
“It’s a personal matter, but I got married recently,” Sakamoto said, noting that the wedding took place on May 5.
Speaking about her husband, the Kobe native described him as “someone I met during university” and “the same age as me.” She clarified that he is not involved in figure skating. “He’s the complete opposite of me in personality—always calm and thoughtful, but he never forgets to have fun and does interesting things with me,” she explained.
When asked whether she had informed her coaches, Nakano and Graham, Sakamoto replied, “I told them very recently, and they said they already knew.”
The 2022 Olympic bronze medalist and two-time world champion officially announced her retirement from competitive skating earlier this year, making this marriage revelation the latest chapter in her career transition.