She made her international debut at the Junior World Championships 2005 in Belgrade , where she reached the semi-finals as the best result over 1500 m. In the 2005/06 season Sakai finally started in the World Cup for the first time. Her best result of the season was a quarter-finals over 500 m. At the Junior World Championships in Miercurea Ciuc she reached over 1500 m and two semifinals with the relay. The 2006/07 season was unsuccessful for Sakai. She started in two World Cup races and at the Junior World Championship in Mladá Boleslav , but could not survive the preliminary rounds. In the following season 2007/08 Sakai denied all World Cups and reached two semi-finals as the best results over 1500 m. She took part in the team world championship in Harbin , it was Sakai's first use in an international championship in the adult area. She finished seventh with her teammates.
The 2009/10 season was successful for Sakai . In the World Cup she reached a B final once over 500 m, with the relay she finished second in Seoul . At the team world championship in Bormio , she just missed a medal in fourth. Sakai qualified for the Olympics in Vancouver . There she was eliminated over 500 m in the lead, with the relay she finished seventh. In the 2010/11 season Sakai was able to improve further. She reached a final over 500 m in Montreal for the first time, over 1000 m she placed second in Dresden and took a podium finish for the first time in an individual race. At the World Championships in Sheffield she reached a quarter-finals twice, at the Team World Championships in Warsaw she only achieved eighth and last place. In the 2011/12 season Sakai achieved the final breakthrough in the international top. She achieved a total of five podium places in the World Cup over 500 m and 1000 m, including her first two World Cup victories. She achieved another four podium places in the relay. She won the discipline world cup over 1000 m. The World Cup in Shanghai was less successful . The final participation in the race over 1500 m remained her best World Championship result.
Web links
Yui Sakai in the Sports-Reference database (English; archived from the original )
Japan