The Pak Global Pakistan:
Japan showcased its strength in women’s figure skating at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, claiming three of the top four spots after the short program. Seventeen-year-old Ami Nakai led the leaderboard with a season-best score of 78.71, followed by three-time world champion Kaori Sakamoto in second place. Mone Chiba, the bronze medalist at last year’s World Championships, holds fourth place.
The Japanese skaters capitalized on errors by the favored American competitors. Reigning world champion Alysa Liu impressed with her energetic routine but lost points due to an under-rotated triple lutz, placing her third. Meanwhile, American champion Amber Glenn suffered a major setback when she missed her triple loop, resulting in zero points for that element and a 13th-place standing, effectively ending her medal contention.
Adeliia Petrosian, competing as an Individual Neutral Athlete (AIN) due to restrictions on Russian athletes, secured fifth place with a flawless routine set to a Michael Jackson medley. Despite initial mixed reactions from the audience, Petrosian demonstrated strong medal potential.
Team Great Britain’s Kristen Spours, competing in her final event before retirement due to injury, finished 29th and did not advance to the free skate. Despite challenges stemming from a back injury that limited her ability to perform a double axel, Spours expressed satisfaction with her final Olympic performance.
The top 24 skaters will move forward to the free skate event, where the medals will be decided on Thursday evening.

