The most popular skater at the Olympics might not be Ilia Malinin

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The most popular skater at the Olympics might not be Ilia Malinin

Japanese star Kaori Sakamoto delivered one of skating’s most moving programs of all time in the team event.

Feb 6, 2026 22:22

4 min

Summary

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Japanese figure skater Kaori Sakamoto placed first in the women's single skating short program portion of the team event on Friday. (Stephanie Scarbrough/Associated Press)

Analysis by Robert Samuels

MILAN — If there is a single enduring image to come out of these Olympic Games, it might be this one: a Japanese icon in a blue dress spinning in the center of the ice, her hand floating in the air while the lyrics to “Time to Say Goodbye” swoon overhead.

On Friday, Kaori Sakamoto waved off detractors from the start of her career while thanking the legions of fans that she has captured over three Olympic cycles. The reigning bronze medalist has said these Games will be her last. They might also be her best.

Sakamoto outperformed and outjumped her competition in the short program on the first day of the team event, clearing a talented field that included reigning world champion and American Alysa Liu, and putting Japan within striking distance of overtaking the United States for the lead in the competition’s next phase.

Sakamoto has been uncharacteristically inconsistent this season, but the nerves settled enough Friday for her to deliver one of skating’s most moving programs of all time.

Some in the audience began tearing up. And when it was over, at least two dozen journalists followed to meet her downstairs. The media scrum was so large that Olympic staff handed Sakamoto a microphone to address them all.

The scene was a reminder that the most popular skater in the world is probably not American Ilia Malinin. Sakamoto, the three-time world champion, is carrying the expectation of breaking her country’s 20-year gold medal drought in women’s figure skating next week.

“Sometimes, I’m crying because it is too [nerve-racking],” Sakamoto said. “But then, I enjoy the moment every time at the competition.”

Sakamoto practiced well in the days leading to this competition, where she has drilled different jumping passes while being the only skater at the rink as crowds watch her. “It has felt very luxurious,” she said Thursday.

The next day, it was the judges and the audience who delighted in her decadence.

Speed has always distinguished Sakamoto’s skating — she builds power through sailing on the sides of blades, gaining enough momentum to jump as if she were blasted from a cannon. In this short program, the amorous and operatic march of Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman’s voices add a different dimension to her signature skill.

Sakamoto, a three-time world champion who has said these will be her final Olympics, is looking to end a 20-year gold medal drought for Japanese women's figure skaters in the singles event. (Francisco Seco/Associated Press)

She has found the strength in extending moments between jumps for longer periods of time, creating memorable portraits on the ice. On Friday, she had a little difficulty taking off precisely on the outside of the skate into her triple Lutz — a perpetual challenge for Sakamoto — but her required two-jump combination was high and blurringly fast. She might be the only skater who should never attempt a triple axel — her double axel travels such a long distance and is landed with such a deep, sustained edge that one would question the point of all those extra rotations. Judges assessed it as practically perfect.

Sakamoto created this program with Benoit Richaud, one of the sport’s most esteemed choreographers. Usually things don’t go well when skaters put together programs that are career reflections — Russian Evgeni Plushenko’s “Best of Plushenko” attempt felt antiquated in 2014 and, this season, reimaginings of iconic programs done by American skater Jason Brown and ice dancers Maia and Alex Shibutani yielded little success. Neither made the Olympics.

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Sakamoto was certain she wanted to use this music for her short program, Richaud said. He agreed immediately. Where other farewell programs focus on who the skater was, Sakamoto’s emphasizes who she has become.

“I do remember the days when she was criticized by everyone, saying she’s not too elegant, maybe too fat, not too feminine, she skates like a man,” Richaud said. “But I don’t see a woman as a woman because she’s feminine or elegant. I see a woman who is her own identity and personality. She knows who she is now.”

So while some might have taken a more delicate approach to the schmaltzy standard, Sakamoto starts the program stomping and striking dominant poses before skating off. After the first verse, Sakamoto enters a camel spin and catches her foot — a position that used to crudely be known as the “doughnut on a stick” spin, because … it looks like a doughnut on a stick.

In executing the spin, Richaud suggested Sakamoto raise one hand, giving the image of an ocean wave, rising and flowing. When Sakamoto first did the move, Richaud said, her coach beamed.

“This is a magic moment,” Richaud recalled thinking. On Friday, the entrancing commenced.

Most top skaters will skate only once in the team event, hoping to avoid peaking before their individual competition. But Sakamoto is performing twice.

The individual event is to show off how well she is training. But this event, she said, is to honor her country.

Sakamoto will skate again during the team event. (Amanda Pereobelli/Reuters) (Amanda Perobelli/Reuters)

What readers are saying

The comments highlight Kaori Sakamoto's captivating presence as a figure skater, emphasizing her magical, powerful, and graceful performances. Commenters appreciate her elegance, confidence, and ability to interpret music beautifully, with some comparing her to legendary skaters... Show more

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