Dazzling teen Ami Nakai leads trio of Japanese skaters poised to win 1st women's singles gold in 20 years

Veteran sportswriter Richard Deitsch takes an international view of the Olympics.

Kaori Sakamoto makes people feel when she skates. Her performance in the team competition earlier at the Milano-Cortina Games was described by The Washington Post as “one of skating’s most moving programs of all time.” It was a skate that helped Japan land a silver medal. 

The 25-year-old has won nearly everything in figure skating. A three-time world champion and reigning Olympic bronze medallist, the one prize that has eluded Sakamoto is an Olympic gold medal. She has already announced that this will be her last Olympics and on Tuesday evening at Milano Ice Skating Arena, she skated with freedom and abandon. She flowed. She skated to win. 

Her score in the short program was 77.23, good for second place. But in a performance that makes you think big things might be coming in the free skate on Thursday, it was her dazzling 17-year-old countrywoman, Ami Nakai, who earned a season’s best 78.71 to take the lead. Think about this: Ami finished 15th at Japanese nationals just one year ago. What a rise. 

The American Amber Liu sits in third at 76.59, a season’s best score. Amber Glenn, the three-time reigning U.S. champion, made a costly mistake (an invalid element during the program) and landed in 12th. No American has won gold in women’s figure skating since Sarah Hughes won in 2002 in Salt Lake City. 

Mone Chiba of Japan enters the free skate in fourth place. Adeliia Petrosian, a Russian skating as an Individual Neutral Athlete is fifth. It’s close. 

Japanese 17-year-old Ami Nakai lands triple axel to lead Olympic women's short program

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