Figureskating-Japan's Miyahara announces retirement on 24th birthday

Figure Skating - ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating - Gran Premio d'Italia - Torino Palavela, Turin, Italy - November 6, 2021 Japan's Satoko Miyahara in action during the women's free skating REUTERS/Ciro De Luca/File Photo

(Reuters) - Japanese figure skater Satoko Miyahara, who won silver at the world championships in 2015, announced her retirement on the occasion of her 24th birthday on Saturday.

Miyahara, who also won bronze at the 2018 world championship, said she decided to retire after having felt "huge fulfilment" at the national championship in Japan last year, where she came in fifth overall.

"Since last nationals, I had been thinking a lot about my career," Miyahara said in a post on Instagram.

"I dedicated all of my power and mentality (especially this year) through figure skating."

Miyahara made the announcement on Instagram along with a photo of her ice skates and a note that read, "thank you".

"I have a lot of dreams for my next step," she added.

Miyahara came in fourth in the women's singles event at the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang in 2018.

(Reporting by Manasi Pathak in Bengaluru; Editing by Edmund Klamann)

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