Sakurai's first major international event was the Junior World Championships in early 2006 in Miercurea Ciuc . There she was eliminated over 1500 meters in the semifinals through a disqualification, on the other distances she did not get beyond the heats. In the 2006/07 season, the Japanese Association used her for the first time in the Short Track World Cup , where she just barely missed the top 10 over 500 meters. With the relay she even reached third place at the second World Cup in Jeonju . In the individual races, she soon made it into the top ten with a tenth place in Montréal over 1500 meters. The Junior World Championship in Mladá Boleslavshe ended up beaten in 35th place, at the World Cup she was at least a good 24th.
The 2007/08 World Cup was very successful for Sakurai, especially in the later World Cups she often placed well. With an eighth place at the fourth World Cup in Turin , she improved her best performance to date by two places, and at the season finale in Salt Lake City , she finally achieved sixth place. In addition, she made 16th place in the Junior World Championship and 27th place in the World Championship in the adult division. After she had not started at the first two stations of the 2008/09 World Cup season , Sakurai managed to finish eighth again in Beijing .
Japan