The Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics women’s figure skating competition has already delivered more drama and dazzling performances than anyone could have scripted. On the evening of February 17, under the sparkling lights of the Milano Ice Arena, the world watched as Japan’s Ami Nakai soared to the top of the leaderboard with a jaw-dropping personal best, while America’s Alysa Liu kept the “Blade Angels” dream alive for Team USA. With the free skate still to come, the race for gold is as tight and unpredictable as ever.
Seventeen-year-old Nakai, making her Olympic debut, set the tone early with a spectacular triple axel—becoming only the fourth Japanese woman ever to land the jump in competition—and followed it up with a flawless triple-triple combination. Her infectious smile never faded as she glided through her routine, earning a career-high 78.71 points. “It was pure sunshine,” said commentator Tara Lipinski, capturing the mood in the arena as Nakai electrified the crowd and sent a clear message to her rivals.
Kaori Sakamoto, the three-time world champion from Japan, delivered a powerful and emotional performance to “Time to Say Goodbye.” Sakamoto’s veteran poise was on full display as she landed her triple lutz and double axel with precision, finishing just behind her younger teammate with a score of 77.23. The Japanese duo now sits first and second, but the margin is razor-thin, with only 2.12 points separating Nakai, Sakamoto, and the next challenger.
Enter Alysa Liu, the 20-year-old American and reigning world champion, who has returned to competition after a brief retirement. Liu nailed the most difficult combination of the night—a triple lutz-triple loop—securing a season’s best 76.59 and putting herself firmly in medal contention. “I am really happy about how I skated,” Liu said, beaming as she recounted seeing her family in the stands. “It was a really cool moment, because they never come to watch like this. I’m really glad I did super well. I felt super grounded and I connected with my program on another level.”
Liu’s relaxed attitude has become her trademark. After finishing sixth at the Beijing 2022 Olympics and stepping away from the sport, she’s returned with a newfound confidence and perspective. When asked if she could beat the Japanese skaters in the upcoming free skate, Liu shrugged off the pressure: “Whether I beat them or not is not my goal. My goal is just to do my programs and share my story and I don’t need to be over or under anyone to do that.”
The rest of Team USA faced a tougher night. Isabeau Levito, the youngest member of the squad at 18, made her Olympic debut in her mother’s native Milan. Despite showing her trademark elegance and flexibility, Levito was dinged for under-rotating her triple loop and received a downgrade on her step sequence, which is usually her secret weapon for picking up points. She finished the short program in eighth place with a score of 70.85, a respectable showing but a tough hill to climb for the podium.
Amber Glenn, the three-time U.S. champion and the oldest American woman to compete in Olympic singles in 98 years, saw her medal hopes dashed in heartbreaking fashion. Glenn opened with a massive triple axel—one of only two landed in the field, alongside Nakai—and kept her momentum with a triple flip-triple toe loop. But disaster struck on her final jump: Glenn bailed out of the triple loop, turning it into a double and earning zero points for the element. The error dropped her to 13th place, a devastating result for a skater who came in as a gold medal favorite.
“I had it,” Glenn told her coach, Damon Allen, as she tried to hold back tears after leaving the ice. “It’s not over,” Allen replied, offering a hug and words of encouragement. Glenn’s night had started on a high note with a surprise motivational video from Madonna, whose song “Like a Prayer” is the soundtrack to Glenn’s free skate. “Go get that gold,” the Queen of Pop told her, a moment Glenn will surely cherish despite the disappointment on the ice.
Glenn’s Olympic journey remains historic: she is the first out LGBTQ woman to skate at the Winter Games and already owns a team event gold medal from earlier in the competition. Alysa Liu shares that team gold, adding to the stakes as the Americans look to salvage an individual medal in what has been a rollercoaster Olympics for U.S. Figure Skating. The team has already experienced highs and lows, from Madison Chock and Evan Bates’ bittersweet silver in ice dancing—marred by some questionable judging—to men’s favorite Ilia Malinin’s shocking crash in the free skate.
Elsewhere in the field, Russian neutral athlete Adeliia Petrosian, just 18 years old, impressed with a career-best 72.89 in her senior international debut. Though she was considered a “wildcard” and is capable of even more difficult jumps, Petrosian opted for a clean, artistically strong program, landing her in fifth place. The competition was fierce, with Belgium’s Loena Hendrickx and Georgia’s Anastasiia Gubanova also cracking the top ten.
The numbers tell the story: the top three—Nakai, Sakamoto, and Liu—are separated by just over two points, and less than six points divide the top five. Thirty women took the ice in Milan, but only the top 24 advanced to the free skate, scheduled for February 19 at 1 p.m. ET. The stakes could not be higher as the athletes prepare for the decisive final round.
For the Americans, all eyes are now on Liu. With her fearless attitude and technical prowess, she stands as the last hope to end a 20-year drought since Sarah Hughes became the last U.S. woman to win Olympic gold in 2002. The last American to medal in singles was Sasha Cohen’s silver in 2006. Can Liu break the streak and bring glory back to Team USA? The answer will come as the world tunes in for the free skate showdown.
The women’s figure skating event at Milan Cortina remains wide open, with history, heartbreak, and hope all swirling on the ice. As the final skaters prepare to take center stage, the only certainty is that more Olympic magic awaits.