Olympic Icon Shares Secret Heart Surgery Months Before Last Medal Win at Milan
Oct 26, 2026 | 5:39 AM EDT Kaori Sakamoto’s skating career includes major titles, Olympic medals, and unforgettable performances. But behind her success on the ice, the Japanese star faced a serious health battle she kept secret for years. After winning silver at Milan-Cortina 2026, the four-time world champion revealed that she underwent heart surgery in July 2017 to treat an irregular heartbeat. In an interview with Kyodo News in Kobe, published on October 23, 2026, the four-time world champion revealed that she underwent catheter ablation after experiencing worrying symptoms during training. She recovered fully, but the experience also made her fear death. “I was having really bad palpitations. It wasn’t just a ‘thump, thump’, but more like a ‘thud, thud, thud, thud, thud,’” Sakamoto recalled in the interview, as reported by Daily Sports. Sakamoto first noticed the symptoms in 2016…
