Yoshimura Sayaka: “I needed time to process it”
How Yoshimura arrived at this decisive stage says something about the tenacity of the curling iron.
Since 2009, the Olympic hopeful has been bidding to curl at the Winter Games Vancouver 2010 first in her sights, before she tries to reach Sochi 2014 And Pyeongchang 2018.
However, it is the Beijing 2022 Olympic Trials that remain etched in Yoshimura’s memory as a particular sore point.
Of Yuta Matsumura already locked in to represent Japan on the men’s side, the Olympic Trials that year were held as a women-only best-of-five series between Yoshimura’s rink and the PyeongChang 2018 bronze medalist Satsuki Fujisawa and her famous ‘Loco Solare’.
Yoshimura, that year’s Japanese national champion, started strong. The team took a 2–0 lead before Fujisawa masterminded a triumphant comeback, winning the next three games to claim the right to be Japan’s representative.
The skip and her team then advanced to the OQE, where they earned an Olympic berth for Japan, and at the Games they made a remarkable run, leaving the People’s Republic of China with a silver medal.
It was a moment of great national pride for Japan’s curlers, claiming two medals at two Olympics, but for Yoshimura the missed opportunity cut deep.
It meant a return to the wilderness, years, she said, that “have not been smooth.” Setbacks on the ice, the disruption of the COVID-19 crisis and maternity leave all played a role in what turned into an extremely complex journey.
But it all meant that when the time came again to fight for their chance at Olympic Trials Milan Cortina 2026her quartet felt ready.
“Four years ago, this was the place where I experienced deep frustration. I couldn’t immediately focus on the next four years; I needed time to process it,” Yoshimura said.
“Our team has also entered a new phase and we have all approached these four years with great determination. Being able to stand on the same ice again felt like something to be proud of.”
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