Japan sweep? Petrosian podium? Women’s skating in grand finaleMedia caption, Winning performance from Japan’s Ami NakaiByEmma SmithBBC Sport journalist at Milano Ice Skating ArenaPublished15 minutes agoWith the International Skating Union raising the minimum age for figure skating competitors from 15 to 17, it seemed like the era of Olympic child champions might be over.Ami Nakai had other ideas. On Tuesday night, the 17-year-old – the youngest competitor in the women’s event – stormed to the top after the short program.
It throws a firecracker into what was already one of the most fascinating competitions at Milan-Cortina 2026 and sets the free skate – where the medals will be decided – up as must-see.
Because of her age, Nakai is a debutant on the world tour this year. While she is highly rated in figure skating circles, she did not have the public profile of the other medal contenders.
It also meant she had a lower world ranking, thus starting 18th of the 29 competitors – much earlier than the highest-profile skaters. But like Guillaume Cizeron and Laurence Fournier Baudry in the ice dance, Nakai came from the middle of the pack to be a frontrunner.
But Nakai, with a season-best of 78.00 going into these Games, always had a chance of medalling if she performed to her best.
And she did, with a terrific performance full of fun, energy and quality. Nakai smiled broadly and punched the air at the end.
It continues Japan’s strong performance in the figure skating, where they have collected four medals – with at least one in every event they have entered.
After being narrowly pipped to team gold by USA, they have since had the upper hand.
The shock failure of men’s favourite Ilia Malinin to win a medal saw Yuma Kagiyama and Shun Sato claim silver and bronze. Then in the pairs, Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara recovered from a botched lift in their short program to claim gold thanks to a flawless free skate, rising from fifth to first.
The women’s event could be Japan’s crowning achievement – a podium sweep is possible.
