Former world silver-medalist Eriko Sanmiya, who carried the flag for Japan at the opening ceremony of the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics, revealed Thursday that she plans to call it a career in speedskating.
Sanmiya, 27, was considered one of Japan's best hopes for a medal at the Salt Lake City Games in February after she became Japan's first female skater to win a silver medal overall at the 2001 World Sprint Championships.
The Fujikyu club skater also won the national sprint championship crown three years in a row from 1998, but struggled last season and only managed to finish 11th in the women's 500 meters in Salt Lake City.