It's the end of an era for Satsuki Fujisawa's team as longtime third Chinami Yoshida announced she is leaving the Kitami-based club after 11 seasons.
She bid farewell to her teammates — Fujisawa, second Yumi Suzuki, and lead Yurika Yoshida — in a social media post.
"I truly wish from the bottom of my heart that your lives will always be filled with warmth and happiness," she wrote. "Even as our paths change, I hope curling remains something we can each choose for ourselves — a journey focused on happiness rather than just wins and losses."
ロコ・ソラーレの一員として、大変貢献して下さった吉田知那美さんが退団となります。
— ロコ・ソラーレ事務局 (@Team_locosolare) March 31, 2026
世界一を目指す中でも、カーリングは楽しい!を体現し続けてくれたことにも感謝が尽きません。
彼女の決断と、今後の活躍を、法人一同応援しております!
代表理事 本橋麻里 pic.twitter.com/kSjNthdpyD
The Yoshida sisters and Suzuki joined forces with Fujisawa in 2015. They won their first of four Japanese championships that season and earned silver at the World Women's Curling Championship.
They became the first Japanese team to win an Olympic medal in curling when they claimed bronze at PyeongChang 2018, and took the next step on the podium by earning silver at Beijing 2022.
Their dreams of reaching the top step this season ended early. Fujisawa finished third at the Japanese Olympic trials in September, as Sayaka Yoshimura's team won the event to earn the right to represent Japan in Milano Cortina.
Team Fujisawa also became the first from Japan to win a Grand Slam of Curling title at the Canadian Open in January 2023.
Fujisawa competed at the World Women's Curling Championship earlier this month in Calgary and just missed the podium, finishing fourth with an 8-5 loss to Sweden's Isabella Wranå in the bronze medal match.
"Until we reunite at age 50, it’s a temporary goodbye," Yoshida wrote. "Please take good care of your knees, elbows, and backs! We’ve got to stay healthy to become Senior World Champions together. See you then!"
Yoshida, 34, will captain Typhoon Curling Club for the inaugural season of Rock League, taking place April 6-12 at TMU Mattamy Athletic Centre in Toronto.