Japan Takes Historic Top Three Spots After Olympic Short Program in Milan
Teenager Ami Nakai stunned the field to lead a Japanese sweep of the first three places in the women’s short program at the 2026 Milano-Cortina Olympics, scoring 78.71 with a clean triple Axel and two triple-triple combinations.
Nakai’s Triple Axel Reshapes Rankings
Seventeen-year-old Nakai, fourth at Japan’s national championships in December, opened with the only fully rotated triple Axel of the night and never trailed. A textbook triple Lutz-triple toe and a solo triple loop to “La Strada” gave her a 1.48-point lead over three-time world champion Kaori Sakamoto and a 4.71-point cushion over world bronze medalist Mone Chiba. Through an interpreter, Nakai said she had hoped merely “to enjoy the Olympic ice,” yet she posted the highest international score of her debut senior season.
Sakamoto Holds Off Nerves for Second Place
Sakamoto, carrying Japan’s momentum after gold medals in pairs and men’s events, admitted her knees and hands shook until fatigue “turned nerves into fuel.” A slight under-rotation on the second jump of her triple Lutz-triple toe left her at 77.23, still enough to beat every non-Japanese skater. “Watching our other champions made me think, ‘We can do this again,’” she said.
Liu Sets Personal Best to Keep U.S. in Medal Hunt
World champion Alysa Liu rescued an otherwise shaky American night, landing a triple Lutz-triple loop for a personal-best 76.59. The jump was ruled a quarter short, but the 19-year-old’s skate to “Promise” keeps the United States within three points of the lead heading into Thursday’s free skate. Liu is the only non-Japanese skater inside that margin.
Record Nine Women Top 70 Points
Depth ruled the segment: nine women broke 70 points, the most since the +5/-5 Grade of Execution scale was introduced. Neutral Athlete Adeliia Petrosian (75.04), European champion Anastasiia Gubanova (74.21), Belgium’s Loena Hendrickx (73.87), American Isabeau Levito (72.60) and South Korea’s Haein Lee (71.95) occupy places five through nine, each still in podium range.
Schizas Misses Free-Skate Cut by Half Point
Canada’s four-time national champion Madeline Schizas popped a loop and fought under-rotation calls, finishing 25th and 0.56 outside the 24-skater cut. “The same mistakes in December would have qualified,” she said. “The standard has risen that much.” Romania’s Julia Sauter grabbed 16th with a clean triple Lutz-triple toe, earning a second Olympic program, while Israel’s Mariia Seniuk called her 22nd-place skate “the best minute of my life.”
Free Skate Outlook: Jump Content Decisive
Only 2.71 points separate first from fourth, so the podium will likely hinge on triple-triple-triple combinations and the triple Axel. Nakai has never landed two triple Axels in one program; Sakamoto has; Liu plans one. Chiba, fourth at 74.00, may need the flip-toe-loop salvo that won her world bronze last March. Forecasts call for firm late-evening ice, conditions Japanese skaters have historically exploited.
What to Watch Next
- Thursday’s free skate starts at 19:30 local time—24 women skate in reverse order.
- Track real-time GOE updates; a single downgrade can swing three points and the medal color.
- Compare planned jump layouts on the ISU start list to spot who is gambling on a second triple Axel.
- Follow post-program press conferences for training-base insights—Milan humidity has already softened one practice rink.
Sources: ISU results sheet, Olympic Information Service, on-site interviews
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