Japanese figure skater Kaori Sakamoto admitted that she has been following the performances of Russian singles and awaiting their return to the international arena.
Yesterday, March 24, Sakamoto was the winner of the 2023 World Championship with 224.61 points. Second place is taken by Korea’s Hae In Lee (220.94). At the end of the tournament, the third place and bronze medal went to Belgian Luna Hendrix (210.42).
“I tried to follow how the Russian skaters are performing this season, but of course I didn’t have time to watch all the skates. I see how many new interesting girls appear in the youth there.
I think that when Russian skaters are allowed to compete again, it will definitely motivate me and I will have to work harder. I’m looking forward to this moment.
In order to compete with them at the same level and fight for victory, I will have to show my maximum every time, ”says the athlete. spor.ru.
Recall that at the end of February 2022, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) made an appeal to international sports federations and advised not to allow domestic and Belarusian athletes to participate in any competitions. For this reason, the International Skating Union (ISU) suspended Russian and Belarusian athletes from competitions.
Formerly American figure skater Evan Bates answered the question About the absence of Russian athletes at the World Championships.