Four-time Japanese national figure skating champion Satoko Miyahara, who placed fourth in the women's individual competition at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, announced Saturday she will retire at the end of the season.
Miyahara was runner-up at the 2015 world championships at age 17 and placed second at the ISU Grand Prix Finals in 2015 and 2016.
She won her fourth straight national title in 2017 after coming back from a hip stress fracture suffered earlier in the year.
In her only Olympic appearance, Miyahara placed behind Canadian bronze medalist Kaetlyn Osmond, with Russians Alina Zagitova and Evgenia Medvedeva winning gold and silver, respectively.
She came third, fourth and third at the nationals in the past three seasons before finishing fifth last December, missing out on selection for the Beijing Olympics.
In a statement posted to her blog and Instagram, Miyahara, who turned 24 on Saturday, said she had been "thinking about my next career" step since last year's nationals.
"I had run through the season dedicating all of my power and mentality and finished nationals with no regrets," wrote Miyahara. "Therefore, I decided to retire from competing."
"I have a lot of dreams for my future, but first, I will enjoy my next stage as a professional skater."
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