Japan’s Nakai Ami is currently at the top of the women’s figure skating standings following Tuesday evening’s (17 February) short program at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026..
The 17-year-old delivered a season-best score of 78.71, narrowly edging out her compatriot Sakamoto Kaori — a three-time world champion and the current Olympic bronze medallist — who posted 77.23.
In third place is Alysa Liu of the United States, the 2025 world champion, with a score of 76.59.
After her skate, Nakai shared her excitement with Olympics.com, saying it felt like a dream once she completed her routine. She added that she was thrilled to successfully land her triple Axel on such a prestigious stage.
Skating first among the leading contenders, Nakai set the tone early. She opened with a flawless triple Axel and followed it up with a triple Lutz–triple toe loop combination, finishing with a triple loop to cap off a strong performance.
The 17-year-old has been on a meteoric rise this season. A year ago, she finished 15th at Japanese nationals. This season, Nakai qualified to the Grand Prix Final after scoring a win on the circuit at the Grand Prix of France
Nakai Ami: A Rising Star in Figure Skating
“I feel like I should be enjoying this Olympics,” she said. “Before the music started, I was calm and was my usual self. I’d almost give myself a 10 out of 10 on the Axel. I wasn’t 100 per cent sure ahead of the skate, but I managed to pull it off, all things considered.”
