By Scott Mammoser, Team FSO writer
Photos by Robin Ritoss and Giada Arioldi
MILAN, Italy – Japanese skaters occupy the first, second and fourth positions following the women’s short program at the Milano Cortina Olympics on Tuesday.
Ami Nakai ascended from the penultimate warm-up group to grab the lead over teammates Kaori Sakamoto and Mone Chiba with 78.71 points. Skating to “La Strada,”the 17-year-old opened with a triple Axel and then produced a triple Lutz-triple toe combination and a triple loop. Nakai was fourth at the Japanese Championships and also won the silver medal at both the Grand Prix Final and Four Continents Championship. This is her first season on the senior circuit.
Nakai spoke through an interpreter and said she was excited about the Olympics and enjoying every moment. She said she is really glad she produced such high scores on a stage such as this.
Teammate Sakamoto trails Nakai by a little more than a point after earning a score of 77.23. In her “Time To Say Goodbye” short program, the Beijing 2022 bronze medalist’s triple Lutz-triple toe combination which called slightly under-rotated.
Through an interpreter, Sakamoto said she was very nervous in the days preceding the short program, experiencing her knees and hands shaking. She thinks that she became so tired of being nervous that it actually calmed herself. She also said her medalist teammates from the pairs’ and men’s competitions empowered her with the inspiration to compete.
Reigning World Champion Alysa Liu of the United States is in bronze medal position with a personal best score of 76.59. In her “Promise” short program. Liu executed a triple-Lutz triple loop combination, which the triple loop was a quarter short of a full rotation.
Mone Chiba, the 2025 World bronze medalist from Japan, was the final skater of the women’s short program. The triple flip-triple toe combination in her “Last Dance” short program was also slightly under-rotated and she received 74.00 points.
Chiba said through an interpreter that she was nervous. After seeing what transpired with the men’s program, she simply wanted to focus on what she is capable of.
Nine skaters recorded more than 70 points in the short program. Among those skaters include individual Neutral athlete Adeliia Petrosian, European champion Anastasiia Gubanova of Georgia, Belgian Loena Hendrickx, American Isabeau Levito, and Korean Haein Lee, who sit in fifth through ninth place respectively.
Amber Glenn of the U.S. is in 13th place after doubling her planned triple loop. She did execute her opening triple Axel, however. Julia Sauter of Romania, who landed her opening triple Lutz-triple toe combination, is in 16th place.
“I wanted to come out and show a season’s best,” said Sauter, who returned to her home in Germany between the opening ceremony and the short program. “The goal was to make the final. I try to enjoy all of the positive things.”
Ekaterina Kurakova of Poland is in 19th place and says she is taking the competition day by day.
“I never look forward to the next competition,” Kurakova said. “If I do then I am not focused. I live in the moment. I want to see perfect skating in the free program, then I can say ‘Ciao.’’’
Mariia Seniuk of Israel ranks 22nd.
“I was well prepared,” Seniuk said. “I am really happy I put everything together in the short program and I did the best skate of my life at the Olympics.”
Only 24 skaters qualify for the free skate. Canada’s Madeline Schizas finished in 25th place and was the first athlete not to qualify for the free skate. The four-time Canadian champion received negative grade of execution points on her opening triple-triple combination, and also received no points for doubling her planned triple loop.
“I am disappointed with the way I skated,” Schizas said, “but I don’t think it’s because it’s the Olympics. That (the errors today) meant the difference between qualifying and not qualifying.”
