Two-time world champion Shoma Uno emphasized how much he is looking forward to the next chapter of his figure skating career after confirming his retirement from competition on Tuesday.
"I'll continue my figure skating path, albeit as a professional," Uno, who announced his retirement from competition via social media on Thursday, told a press conference in Tokyo. "I have no sense of sadness at all, given I'll keep skating."
"Of course it's nice to hear the voices of people who are sad (that I'm leaving the competition), but this is also an announcement to say I'll be giving my best ahead of my next stage and I hope they continue to enjoy supporting me."
A six-time Japanese national champion, Uno excelled in his artistic expression and execution of high-difficulty jumps, including the quad flip, which he became the first in the world to land in 2016.
He won the individual men's silver at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics and bronze in Beijing in 2022, when he also won team silver with Japan.
The Nagoya native took up the sport after visiting a rink in the city and receiving encouragement from former women's world champion and local heroine Mao Asada. Uno said he was "moved" by the realization he was now in a similar position as Asada to influence a new generation.
While revealing he harbored more interest in childhood for video games -- which remain one of the indoor-loving star's main hobbies -- Uno said he was gradually drawn into figure skating by the knowledge he could be among the world's best if he "dedicated everything" to the sport.
He spent much of his career in the shadow of superstar compatriot Yuzuru Hanyu, who was both a friend and rival on the ice. The pair completed a one-two finish for Japan in Pyeongchang, where Hanyu won his second consecutive Olympic gold.
Hanyu retired from competition in 2022, while another of the sport's top stars, American Nathan Chen, stepped away from the ice after winning Olympic gold the same year, leaving Uno without two of his biggest inspirations and prompting his own thoughts of retirement.
Uno said he remained motivated upon winning his first world title in the star pair's absence later in the year, but nevertheless felt "really sad and alone" without his "long-term friends and rivals" on the ice.
"They were from a level above, wonderful skaters who I always wanted to compete against on an equal footing one day," Uno said. "I can't say whether I reached that point, but I feel like I made my own figure skating career and gave it everything. I recall their characters more than any particular competitions against them."
Uno finished fourth at March's world championships in Montreal, where he missed out on his third straight title and revealed he had been struggling to find motivation over the past two seasons. He leaves the competitive rink less than two years before the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo in Italy.
But the 26-year-old reiterated he has "no regrets at all." Instead, he was buoyed by the chance to create his own programs full of components that make him "happy to perform every day."
"I'm just grateful to have found figure skating, and surprised (by the things that followed)," Uno said. "I never thought I'd leave my mark at the Olympics, a stage I was watching on TV, and wouldn't have thought I'd be able to win the world championships until three, four years ago."
"I really feel I was blessed with the people I've met...I was trying to look for areas to improve until just recently when I was still active, but looking back now, I realize I've walked a really remarkable path."
"I'm leaving competition and will be more free in figure skating. I can choose whatever jumps and spins I want, decide whether to do them or not, and that matches my way of living, so I'm looking forward to it."
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