Japan Historic Podium Sweep After Women's Short Program at 2026 Olympics

Japanese Teens Sweep Olympic Podium in Women’s Short Program

Seventeen-year-old Ami Nakai stunned the 2026 Milano-Cortina Games on Wednesday night, topping a historic Japanese sweep of the women’s figure-skating short program while a sold-out Milan crowd watched the podium order flip in real time.

Nakai Lands First-Clean Triple Axel, Takes Lead

Nakai, fourth at December’s national championships, cracked 78 points for the first time overseas. She opened with the only fully rotated triple Axel of the session, added a triple Lutz-triple toe and a solo triple loop set to Nino Rota’s “La Strada,” and exited with 78.71—more than five points above her previous best. The score gives 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. “I just wanted to enjoy the Olympic ice,” Nakai said through an interpreter, yet her skate rewired every medal forecast that had centered on Sakamoto and American Alysa Liu.

Sakamoto Feeds Off Team Momentum for Second

Skating minutes after Japan’s pair triumph and two nights after Shoma Uno defended the men’s title, Sakamoto admitted her knees shook until mid-program fatigue “turned nerves into fuel.” A slight under-rotation on the second jump of her triple Lutz-triple toe trimmed about 1.2 points, leaving her at 77.23—still high enough to beat every non-Japanese entry. “Watching our other champions made me think, ‘We can do this again,’” she told reporters, referencing Japan’s first-ever team gold earlier in the week. Her component marks, second only to Nakai’s, keep the 24-year-old within striking distance heading into Thursday’s free skate.

Liu Keeps U.S. Hopes Alive With Personal Best

World champion Alysa Liu halted an otherwise shaky U.S. evening, landing a triple Lutz-triple loop for 76.59 and remaining the only non-Japanese skater within three points of the lead. Judges tagged the combo a quarter-turn short, yet clean triple flip and level-four spins preserved a buffer over Neutral Athlete Adeliia Petrosian (75.04) and European champion Anastasiia Gubanova (74.21). Liu’s skate to Ben Howard’s “Promise” keeps the United States in the hunt for its first individual ladies’ medal since Tara Lipinski in 1998. Teammate Isabeau Levito sits eighth at 72.60, while Bradie Tennell’s fall on an under-rotated triple loop left her 14th at 67.88.

Nine Women Top 70 Points, Setting Depth Record

The scoring sheet shows how far women’s skating has moved since the +5/-5 Grade of Execution scale arrived in 2018: nine athletes cracked 70 points, breaking the previous Olympic high of six. Belgium’s Loena Hendrickx used a triple flip-Euler-triple Salchow to grab 73.87, South Korea’s Haein Lee matched her season best at 71.95, and Romania’s Julia Sauter surprised even her coaches by landing a clean triple Lutz-triple toe for 70.12—good for 16th and her second Olympic free skate. “The standard has risen that much,” said Canada’s Madeline Schizas, who popped a loop, drew under-rotation calls, and missed the 24-skater cut by 0.56.

Jump Arsenal Will Decide Thursday Medals

With 2.71 points separating first from fourth, the final will hinge on who slots second triple Axels or triple-triple-triple combos into the seven-jump limit. Nakai has never tried two triple Axels in one senior program; Sakamoto landed the combo en route to her 2024 world title; Liu plans one in the second half for a 10-percent bonus. Chiba, fourth at 74.00, may revive the flip-toe-toe salvo that earned her world bronze last March. Forecasts call for −2 °C rink-level temperatures and low humidity—conditions the Japanese contingent has historically exploited for firmer, faster ice.

Quick Viewer Guide for the Free Skate

1. Download the ISU live-scoring app and enable GOE alerts—single downgrades swing roughly three points.
2. Compare planned jump layouts on the official start list; look for the “2A” or “3A” notation that flags a second triple Axel.
3. Watch warm-up groups, not just the final six; the penultimate quartet skates on fresher ice and can spoil the standings.
4. Track rink-side humidity on Olympic social feeds—Milano’s mountain air can soften landings after 21:00 local time.
5. Save the post-event press conference stream; coaches often reveal last-day boot-blade tweaks that shape jump tactics.

Sources: ISU results sheet, Olympic Information Service, on-site interviews