Full of smiles and proud of his career, Uno Shoma waves goodbye: 'I have absolutely no regrets'
The 26-year-old says, 'I want to pat myself on the back' after winning three Olympic medals, two World championships and six Japanese nationals, cementing his own chapter in figure skating lore.
Figure Skating
Uno Shoma has retired from competitive figure skating. And he has zero regrets about walking away - despite having plenty more to offer ahead of the next Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026.
“On the point of having any regrets over this decision, I have absolutely none,” Uno told a press conference in Tokyo on Tuesday (14 May), five days after the 26-year-old announced his retirement via Instagram.
“I can now skate however I want to. When I look back now on my body of work, I want to pat myself on the back.
“To hone the craft each and every day wasn’t easy. I don’t want to compliment myself too much but I like to think I accomplished a tremendous amount.”
Uno Shoma on career 'full of wonderful surprises'
The two-time world champion bows out having won three Olympic medals, the most by a Japanese skater male or female. Uno is the only Japanese man to capture successive World championships.
His six national titles are the second most in history, tying him with Honda Takeshi and Hanyu Yuzuru, Uno’s on-ice role model alongside Nathan Chen.
Uno - who will hit the professional circuit now - said he began thinking about the conclusion of his career two years ago when he won his first world title in Helsinki followed by the retirement of Hanyu and Chen.
Uno relayed his final decision to coach Stephane Lambiel in December after the nationals in Nagano.
“I first started thinking about retirement around two years ago,” said Uno, who took up skating when he was five years old. “But from that point on I kept skating because I couldn’t see myself retiring.
“I went through a number of things and it’s led to where I am today. The decision was a gradual one but I told my coach, Stephane, after the nationals that I would stop competing following the next meet,” he said, referring to the worlds in Montreal in March when he missed the podium after placing fourth.
“I never skated for results or numbers. I gave it what I had each day, and tried to do the best I could at every competition.
“But after I won the worlds for the first time - and of course I wanted to continue to do well - Yuzu retired, then Nathan followed.
“To see the guys I competed with for so long call time on their careers, I felt sad, even stranded. I think that’s when I started to think about my own ending.”
Throughout the hour-long press conference, Uno never shed a tear or was somber at any point. He was, in fact, all smiles answering questions and talking about his other passion in life, gaming, which he plans to dive into more than ever now with time on his hands.
A self-described introvert as a child, Uno said figure skating molded him into the person he is today and thankful for the 21-year journey it has taken him on.
“I never expected to be the competitor I became nor be able to speak in front of a crowd like I’m doing right now. I am so grateful to have met skating; it’s been full of wonderful surprises.
“Who would have thought I would compete on the Olympic stage let alone do well there. I didn’t think I had a shot at a world championship three, four years ago.
“How figure skating came to cross my path is truly emotional and meaningful.”