Three-time world champion Kaori Sakamoto faces one of her toughest challenges yet as she seeks elusive Olympic gold in Milan next month. At an Olympic send-off in her home arena in Kobe last week, the relaxed skater joked about the weight of her shiny Omega watch and expressed glee over leaving her skates at home after retirement.
Kaori Sakamoto's preparation for the Milano Cortina Olympics is underway under the rigorous guidance of her long-time coaches, Sonoko Nakano and Mitsuko Graham. The hour-long practice session, held partly in front of reporters, photographers, and TV crews, saw the coaches maintaining a no-nonsense approach.
Just an hour earlier, Sakamoto endured this intense training, but at the subsequent Olympic send-off in Kobe, she shifted to a relaxed mood, joking about her Omega watch's weight and her post-retirement excitement of leaving skates behind. As a three-time world champion and part of Team Japan, this will be her final Olympics, fueling her drive for gold.
