Kaori Sakamoto closed her competitive career with a fourth world title and a personal-best total of 238.28 at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships in Prague. She is the first Japanese skater in any discipline to win four world crowns.
A final skate to "Je ne regrette rien"
The 25-year-old took the ice at the O2 Arena before more than 14,000 spectators. She delivered her free skate to Edith Piaf's "Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien."
Every element earned a positive grade of execution from the judges. She opened with a double Axel and closed with a flying change foot combination spin. Her free skate score reached a personal-best 158.97.
Four titles, one first
Sakamoto stayed clear of teammate Mone Chiba, who claimed silver with 228.47. The gap between them was 9.81 points. Belgium's Nina Pinzarrone rose to take her first world medal in bronze.
The win made her the first woman since Michelle Kwan to collect four world singles titles. She had already secured a third straight world title in 2024, a streak not seen since Peggy Fleming in 1968.
"There are no regrets at all, I can say goodbye with this performance," Sakamoto told reporters afterwards.
The moment held a quiet circle. Thirteen years earlier she began her international journey at a Junior Grand Prix in Ostrava, a short distance from Prague. She left the ice for the final time in the same country, a world champion once more.
