That's what friends are for: Olympic champions Kodaira Nao and Lee Sang-hwa bonded for life

For Forrest Gump, life is like a box of chocolates. For Kodaira Nao, it’s been a rollercoaster.

And on that ride, the four-time Olympic speed skater met Lee Sang-hwa and forged a friendship way beyond the realm of sport.

“Lee Sang-hwa to me is one of many skating peers I have, and more than that, also a very dear friend who I connect with,” Kodaira said during a televised press conference on Thursday (27 October), when she confirmed the end of a skating career marked by one Olympic gold medal and two silvers.

“At times we were considered rivals but she and I have the same mindset, the same mentality. It doesn’t matter when we get together. It always feels like I was with her until the day before. She’s that kind of friend.

“My career was full of peaks and valleys, like a rollercoaster. Thanks to so many people, I managed to never look back; I kept going forward with my chin up.

“I left everything out there.”

Kodaira and Lee - who hung up her skates in May 2019 - orchestrated one of the signature moments of the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games.

In her home country, Lee was bidding to win the women’s 500 metres for a third successive Games. But Kodaira, bidding for her first Olympic title, had other ideas.

Kodaira edged Lee to finish first in a Games record of 36.94 seconds, becoming the first Japanese female to win a speed skating gold.

Lee, as one would expect, was in ruins and in tears, unable to come through. But there was Kodaira, draped in the Japanese flag, embracing and consoling her Korean friend who wept in her arms like a child.

The relationship between Japan and the Republic of Korea can be complicated at times, so for Kodaira and Lee to openly display their respect and affection for one another under the gaze of the entire world, as if it didn’t seem to matter where they were from, was a moment that touched and moved a lot of people in both nations.

“The PyeongChang Olympics was the moment when I really felt my friendship with Sang-hwa,” Kodaira said, looking back on 18 February 2018.

“Who finished where wasn’t important; we respected each other, supported each other and it’s what led to that moment for us. We both have been through a lot but I’m so grateful from the bottom of my heart I had an opportunity to skate with her.

“When things weren’t going well for me on the ice, Sang-hwa would always encourage me. I think a true friend is someone who is there for you in the most difficult times and Sang-hwa always was, with heart. My friendship with her will last.”

Kodaira and Lee. Lee and Kodaira. The two were friends well before PyeongChang and will be for life, continuing to do the things that normal friends do.

Kodaira took part in the final race of her career on 22 October, the 500m at the Japanese national single distance championships. She won in a respectable 37.49, holding off fellow Olympic champion Takagi Miho.

Kodaira said she has been appointed a special professor at her alma mater, Shinshu University in Nagano Prefecture. She plans to take her time in compiling 18 years worth of notes on the art of speed skating.

Lee has gone into the broadcasting booth following retirement from competition. At Beijing 2022, she called Kodaira’s last run at the Games in the 1,000m (she placed 10th). Lee was in tears, again.

The story of one cannot now be told without the other. Kodaira only hopes her successors will have an opportunity like she did with Lee, which she believes was only made possible by the stage known as the Olympic Games.

“The Olympics is very important to athletes. Or I hope it is, anyway. For anyone involved in sport - whether you’re competing or working with those competing, whatever the role - I really hope it remains a precious thing.

“I’ve experienced four Olympics and I’m convinced it is a place that’s helped me grow. I hope it will continue to be a platform that will help make the world a brighter place, bring together people from all corners.”