Kaori Sakamoto

Kaori Sakamoto
Personal Information
Country Represented	Japan
Native Name	坂本花織
Born	April 9, 2000 Kobe, Hyōgo
Home Town	Kobe, Hyōgo
Age	25 years
Club	Sysmex FST
Former Club	Kobe FSC
Languages	Japanese
Career Info
Coaches	Mitsuko Graham, Sei Kawahara, Sonoko Nakano
Choreographers	Marie-France Dubreuil, Rohene Ward, Samuel Chouinard
Former Choreographers	Benoît Richaud, David Wilson, Masahiro Kawagoe, Massimo Scali, Shae-Lynn Bourne, Sonoko Nakano, Yukina Ota, Kenji Miyamoto
Training Locations	Hyōgo
Began Skating	2004 (Aged 4)
(WS) World Standing	1
Physical Description
Height	159 cm (5' 3")
Gender	Female
Eye Color	Dark Brown
Ethnicity	Japanese
Personal International Bests
SP	80.32 - 2022 World Championships
FS	155.77 - 2022 World Championships
Total	236.09 - 2022 World Championships

Kaori Sakamoto (坂本花織 Sakamoto Kaori, born April 9, 2000) is a Japanese figure skater. She is the 2022 Winter Olympic bronze medalist, a two-time World champion (2022 & 2023) champion, the 2018 Four Continents champion, and a three-time Japanese national champion (2018-19, 2021-22, and 2022-23).

Personal Life

Sakamoto's hobbies include swimming and origami. In 2017, she signed an affiliation agreement with Sysmex Corporation, which will help to fund the financial costs of her competitive figure skating career.

Career

2016-17 Season

Sakamoto's season began at the 2016 JGP France in Saint Gervais. She received second place after performing a near-clean short program and freeskate, behind Alina Zagitova.

Sakamoto's second Junior Grand Prix event was at 2016 JGP Japan in Yokohama. She led the short program by 0.80 points. In the freeskate, she placed second after under-rotating a jump, behind Marin Honda. She received the highest overall scores, and she won a Junior Grand Prix event for the first time, qualifying for the 2016-17 JGP Final.

At the 2016-17 JGP Final, Sakamoto placed second in the short program. A fall in the freeskate placed her in fourth in the segment, and third overall.

Later that year, Sakamoto placed 7th in Japanese nationals and won Japanese Junior nationals, thus qualifying for the 2017 World Junior Championships.

Sakamoto earned the bronze medal at 2017 World Junior Championships, having placed third in the short program and freeskate. She did not receive a single negative GOE from any of the judges during the competition.

2015-16 Season

Sakamoto's first major competition of this season was at 2015 JGP Latvia in Riga. She received the third highest score in the short program after missing an edge on the triple lutz. Despite a fall in the freeskate, she was able to manage second place in the freeskate and overall, behind Maria Sotskova.

Sakamoto's second Junior Grand Prix event was at 2015 JGP Poland in Torún. She finished the short program in third place after a fall, and finished the freeskate in fourth after falling twice. This put her in fourth place overall, and she was subsequently named as the first alternate for qualifying for the 2015-16 JGP Final.

After placing 5th and 13th at Japanese junior and senior championships respectively, Sakamoto qualified for the 2016 Winter Youth Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway. At the Youth Olympics, she placed fifth in the short program and sixth in the freeskate, and sixth place overall.

2014-15 Season

Sakamoto's first major competition of this season was at 2014 JGP Japan. She was situated in sixth place after the short program. During the freeskate, she endured three falls and ended up in seventh place overall.

Sakamoto qualified for her first Junior Worlds after placing 2nd and 6th at Japanese junior and senior championships respectively. At Junior Worlds, she placed 4th in the short program. A fall during the freeskate caused her to drop to sixth place overall.

2013-14 Season

This season was Sakamoto's first international season. Her first major competition was at 2013 JGP Czech Republic. She was in seventh place after the short program. She placed sixth in the freeskate and overall after receiving deductions for falling and performing for longer than the allotted time as a result of the fall. She competed at senior Japanese nationals for the first time, where she placed 15th.

Programs

Season	Short Program	Freeskate
2023-2024	Baby, God Bless You by Shin'ya Kiyozuka performed by Orchestra Possible choreo. by Jeffrey Buttle	Lauryn Hill Medley: Wild is the Wind by Dimitri Tiomkin and Ned Washington Feeling Good by Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse performed by Lauryn Hill choreo. by Marie-France Dubreuil
2022-2023	Janet Jackson Medley: Rock with U by Eric Stamile, Jermaine Dupri, & Ne-Yo Feedback by Darkchild, D'Mile, LaShawn Daniels, & Tasleema Yasin performed by Janet Jackson choreo. by Rohene Ward	Lovation by Karl Hugo Elastic Heart by Diplo, Djemba Djemba, & Sia performed by Sia choreo. by Marie-France Dubreuil
2021-2022	Now We Are Free (from Gladiator) by Hans Zimmer & Lisa Gerrard choreo. by Benoît Richaud	No More Fight Left in Me (from Woman) by Armand Amar performed by Imany Tris (from Divergent) by Junkie XL choreo. by Benoît Richaud
2020-2021	Prelude No. 2 (from The Well-Tempered Clavier) by Johann Sebastian Bach performed by Jacque Loussier Trio choreo. by Benoît Richaud	Main Title (from The Matrix) by Don Davis Clubbed to Death by Rob Dougan choreo. by Benoît Richaud
2019-2020	No Roots by Alice Merton & Nicholas Rebscher performed by Alice Merton choreo. by Shae-Lynn Bourne	Main Title (from The Matrix) by Don Davis Clubbed to Death by Rob Dougan choreo. by Benoît Richaud
2018-2019	From My First Moment (from Gymnopédie No. 1) by Erik Satie performed by Charlotte Church choreo. by David Wilson	The Piano by Michael Nyman Wild Side (from Tree of Life) by Roberto Cacciapaglia choreo. by Benoît Richaud
2017-2018	Piano Sonata No. 14 by Ludwig van Beethoven choreo. by Benoît Richaud	Amélie Sur le fil by Yann Tiersen choreo. by Benoît Richaud
	Initial SP: Danse Macabre by Camille Saint-Saëns
2016-2017	The Artist by Ludovic Bource choreo. by Massimo Scali	The Color Purple  by Quincy Jones choreo. by Massimo Scali
2015-2016	Malagueña  by Ernesto Lecuona choreo. by Masahiro Kawagoe	The Color Purple  by Quincy Jones choreo. by Massimo Scali
2014-2015	Dark Eyes  by Adalgiso Ferraris choreo. by Masahiro Kawagoe, Sonoko Nakano, and Yukina Ota	Romeo and Juliet  by Pyotr Tchaikovsky choreo. by Masahiro Kawagoe, Sonoko Nakano, and Yukina Ota
2013-2014	Anything Goes  by Cole Porter choreo. by Masahiro Kawagoe	Aladdin  by Alan Menken choreo. by Masahiro Kawagoee

Exhibitions

Season	Music
2022-2023	Love Shack by Cindy Wilson, Fred Schneider, Kate Pierson, & Keith Strickland performed by The B-52's
	Tango Amore by Edvin Marton choreo. by Benoît Richaud
	Heart Upon My Sleeve by Arash Pournouri, Avicii, Ben McKee, Dan Reynolds, Daniel Platzman, & Wayne Sermon performed by Avicii & Imagine Dragons choreo. by Yuka Sato
2021-2022	Lose You to Love Me by Julia Michaels, Justin Tranter, Mattias Larsson, Robin Fredriksson, & Selena Gomez performed by Selena Gomez choreo. by Benoît Richaud
2020-2021	JIN by Tsukuyomi
	Arrivée des camoionneurs (from The Young Girls of Rochefort) by Michel Legrand
2019-2020	JIN by Tsukuyomi
2018-2019	Don't Tell Mama (from Cabaret) by John Kander
2017-2018	Primavera Porteña (from Estaciones Porteñas) by Ástor Piazzolla performed by Kazuma Miura
	Amélie Sur le fil by Yann Tiersen choreo. by Benoît Richaud
	The Color Purple  by Quincy Jones choreo. by Massimo Scali
	Main Title (from Diamonds Are Forever) by John Barry The Name's Bond... James Bond (from Casino Royale) by David Arnold Theme (from Dr. No) by Monty Norman
	Piano Sonata No. 14 by Ludwig van Beethoven choreo. by Benoît Richaud
2016-2017	Primavera Porteña (from Estaciones Porteñas) by Ástor Piazzolla performed by Kazuma Miura

International Results

(Season bests highlighted in bold, personal bests italicized)

2023-2024 Season
Date	Competition	SP	FS	Total
October 27 - 29	2023 Skate Canada	1 75.13	1 151.00	1 226.13
September 14 - 16	2023 Skate Canada Autumn Classic	1 75.62	1 127.58	1 203.20
2022-2023 Season
Date	Competition	SP	FS	Total
April 13 - 16	2023 World Team Trophy	2 72.69	2 145.75	3T/2P 218.44
March 22 - 26	2023 World Championships	1 79.24	2 145.37	1 224.61
February 23 - 26	2023 International Challenge Cup	1 76.85	1 151.50	1 228.35
January 13 - 15	2023 Winter Universiade	1 78.40	2 139.02	2 217.42
December 8 - 11	2022-23 Grand Prix Final	1 75.86	6 116.70	5 192.56
November 18 - 20	2022 NHK Trophy	2 68.07	1 133.80	2 201.87
October 21 - 23	2022 Skate America	1 71.72	1 145.89	1 217.61
September 16 - 19	2022 Lombardia Trophy	1 72.93	2 132.40	2 205.33
2021-2022 Season
Date	Competition	SP	FS	Total
March 21 - 27	2022 World Championships	1 80.32	1 155.77	1 236.09
February 4 - 20	2022 Winter Olympics (Individual)	3 79.84	3 153.29	3 233.13
	2022 Winter Olympics (Team Event)	N/A	2 148.66	3T/2P
November 12 - 14	2021 NHK Trophy	1 76.56	1 146.78	1 223.34
October 21 - 24	2021 Skate America	4 71.16	3 144.77	4 215.93
October 13 - 17	2021 Asian Open Trophy	1 76.70	2 125.28	2 202.28
2020-2021 Season
Date	Competition	SP	FS	Total
April 15 - 18	2021 World Team Trophy	3 77.78	2 150.29	3T/2P 228.07
March 22 - 28	2021 World Championships	6 70.38	5 137.42	6 207.80
November 27 - 29	2020 NHK Trophy	1 75.60	1 153.91	1 229.51
2019-2020 Season
Date	Competition	SP	FS	Total
February 4 - 9	2020 Four Continents Championships	4 73.07	8 129.72	5 202.79
November 1 - 3	2019 Internationaux de France	6 64.08	4 135.16	4 199.24
October 17 - 20	2019 Skate America	2 73.25	4 129.22	4 202.47
September 20 - 21	2019 Ondrej Nepela Trophy	4 59.97	2 134.45	2 194.42
2018-2019 Season
Date	Competition	SP	FS	Total
April 11 - 14	2019 World Team Trophy	3 76.95	3 146.70	2T/3P 223.65
March 18 - 24	2019 World Championships	2 76.86	5 145.97	5 222.83
February 5 - 10	2019 Four Continents Championships	2 73.36	4 133.43	4 206.79
December 5 - 9	2018-19 Grand Prix Final	4 70.23	4 141.45	4 211.68
November 2 - 4	2018 Grand Prix of Helsinki	7 57.26	2 140.16	3 197.42
October 19 - 21	2018 Skate America	2 71.29	2 142.61	2 213.90
September 13 - 16	2018 Lombardia Trophy	9 49.91	2 130.94	4 180.85

2017-2018 Season
Date	Competition	SP	FS	Total
March 16 - 18	2018 Coupe du Printemps	1 73.27	2 129.29	2 202.56
February 9 - 23	2018 Winter Olympics (Individual Event)	5 73.18	6 136.53	6 209.71
	2018 Winter Olympics (Team Event)	N/A	5 131.91	5
January 22 - 28	2018 Four Continents Championships	2 71.34	1 142.87	1 214.21
November 24 - 26	2017 Skate America	2 69.40	2 141.19	2 210.59
October 20 - 22	2017 Rostelecom Cup	4 68.88	5 125.12	5 194.00
September 14 - 16	2017 US Classic	5 56.82	4 112.30	4 169.12
August 2 - 5	2017 Asian Open Figure Skating Trophy	1 63.70	1 112.41	1 176.11

2016-2017 Season
Date	Competition	Level	SP	FS	Total
March 13 - 19	2017 World Junior Championships	Junior	3 67.78	3 127.76	3 195.54
December 8 - 11	2016-17 JGP Final	Junior	2 64.48	4 111.86	3 176.33
September 7 - 11	2016 JGP Japan	Junior	1 65.66	2 122.15	1 187.81
August 24 - 27	2016 JGP France	Junior	2 64.12	2 114.74	2 178.86
2015-2016 Season
Date	Competition	Level	SP	FS	Total
February 12 - 21	2016 Winter Youth Olympics	Junior	5 56.25	6 98.98	6 155.23
September 23 - 27	2015 JGP Poland	Junior	3 56.89	4 101.55	4 158.44
August 26 - 30	2015 JGP Latvia	Junior	3 58.75	2 112.20	2 170.95
August 2 - 5	2015 Asian Open Trophy	Senior	3 39.64	3 99.36	3 139.00
2014-2015 Season
Date	Competition	Level	SP	FS	Total
March 2 - 8	2015 World Junior Championships	Junior	4 58.72	6 107.53	6 166.25
September 11 - 14	2014 JGP Japan	Junior	6 52.70	7 93.46	7 146.16
2013-2014 Season
Date	Competition	Level	SP	FS	Total
March 14 - 16	2014 International Challenge Cup	Junior	1 54.98	2 98.89	1 153.87
October 2 - 5	2013 JGP Czech Republic	Junior	7 52.80	6 93.69	6 146.49
August 8 - 11	2013 Asian Open Figure Trophy	Junior	1 53.20	1 102.28	1 155.48
2012-2013 Season
Date	Competition	Level	SP	FS	Total
March 27 - 32	2013 Triglav Trophy	Novice	2 37.64	2 77.51	2 115.15

Medal Record

(In chronological order)

Type	Competition	Season	Level
Gold	2023 Skate Canada	2023-24	Senior
Gold	2023 Skate Canada Autumn Classic	2023-24	Senior
Gold	2023 Japan Open	2023-24	Senior
Bronze	2023 World Team Trophy	2022-23	Senior
Gold	2023 World Championships	2022-23	Senior
Gold	2023 International Challenge Cup	2022-23	Senior
Silver	2023 Winter Universiade	2022-23	Senior
Gold	2022-23 Japan Championships	2022-23	Senior
Silver	2022 NHK Trophy	2022-23	Senior
Gold	2022 Skate America	2022-23	Senior
Gold	2022 Japan Open	2022-23	Senior
Silver	2022 Lombardia Trophy	2022-23	Senior
Gold	2022 World Championships	2021-22	Senior
Bronze	2022 Winter Olympics (Individual)	2021-22	Senior
Bronze	2022 Winter Olympics (Team)	2021-22	Senior
Gold	2021-22 Japan Championships	2021-22	Senior
Gold	2021 NHK Trophy	2021-22	Senior
Silver	2021 Asian Open Trophy	2021-22	Senior
Silver	2021 Japan Open	2021-22	Senior
Bronze	2021 World Team Trophy	2020-21	Senior
Silver	2020-21 Japan Championships	2020-21	Senior
Gold	2020 NHK Trophy	2020-21	Senior
Silver	2019 Ondrej Nepela Trophy	2019-20	Senior
Silver	2019 World Team Trophy	2019-20	Senior
Gold	2018-19 Japan Championships	2018-19	Senior
Bronze	2018 Grand Prix of Helsinki	2018-19	Senior
Silver	2018 Skate America	2018-19	Senior
Gold	2018 Japan Open	2018-19	Senior
Silver	2018 Coupe du Printemps	2017-18	Senior
Gold	2018 Four Continents Championships	2017-18	Senior
Silver	2017-18 Japan Championships	2017-18	Senior
Silver	2017 Skate America	2017-18	Senior
Bronze	2017 World Junior Championships	2016-17	Junior
Bronze	2016-17 JGP Final	2016-17	Junior
Gold	2016-17 Japan Championships	2016-17	Junior
Gold	2016 Japan Western Sectionals	2016-17	Junior
Gold	2016 JGP Japan	2016-17	Junior
Bronze	2016 JGP France	2016-17	Junior
Silver	2015 JGP Latvia	2015-16	Junior
Bronze	2015 Asian Open Trophy	2015-16	Senior
Silver	2014-15 Japan Championships	2014-15	Junior
Gold	2014 Kinki Regionals	2014-15	Junior
Gold	2014 International Challenge Cup	2013-14	Junior
Gold	2013 Japan Western Sectionals	2013-14	Junior
Gold	2013 Kinki Regionals	2013-14	Junior
Gold	2013 Asian Open Trophy	2013-14	Junior
Silver	2013 Triglav Trophy	2012-13	Novice
Gold	2012-13 Japan Championships	2012-13	Novice
Gold	2012 Kinki Regionals	2012-13	Novice
Gold	2011 Kinki Regionals	2011-12	Novice

Segment Medal Record

Type	Competition	Season	Segment	Level
Silver	2023 World Championships	2022-23	Free	Senior
Gold	2023 World Championships	2022-23	Short	Senior
Gold	2022 World Championships	2021-22	Free	Senior
Gold	2022 World Championships	2021-22	Short	Senior
Silver	2019 World Championships	2018-19	Short	Senior
Silver	2019 Four Continents Championships	2018-19	Short	Senior
Gold	2018 Four Continents Championships	2017-18	Free	Senior
Silver	2018 Four Continents Championships	2017-18	Short	Senior
Bronze	2017 World Junior Championships	2016-17	Free	Junior
Bronze	2017 World Junior Championships	2016-17	Short	Junior

Social Media

Instagram: sysmex_figureskatingteam (jointly owned with Mai Mihara)

Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaori_Sakamoto

https://www.statsonice.com/skater/Kaori/Sakamoto/

http://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs00014151.htm

http://www.sysmex.co.jp/en/corporate/news/2017/171002.html

http://www.isuresults.com/ws/ws/wswomen.htm