The Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics have delivered a whirlwind of drama, triumph, and emotion for Japan’s athletes, with their performances making headlines both on the slopes and the ice. As the Games unfold in Italy, Japanese competitors have not only brought home an impressive haul of medals but also faced the unique pressures of a global audience—both supportive and, at times, challenging.
Freestyle skier Ikuma Horishima stands at the center of Japan’s Olympic narrative, capturing the nation’s first-ever silver medal in the men’s dual moguls. This event, making its Olympic debut, pitted skiers head-to-head down a bumpy course, demanding flawless turns and aerial maneuvers. Horishima, 28, faced off against Canadian legend Mikael Kingsbury in the final—a showdown brimming with anticipation, especially as Kingsbury had announced his retirement from Olympic competition. "Let’s enjoy the competition," Horishima told himself before plunging down the course. Despite his bold approach, he lost balance and was unable to complete his second aerial maneuver, ultimately conceding gold to Kingsbury. "I’m so disappointed that I could not race through until the end," Horishima admitted. "I think I saw Kingsbury’s determination."
Horishima’s journey to silver is a testament to perseverance. Inspired since childhood by former champion Shinji Osada—a freestyle skier who overcame Tetralogy of Fallot, a serious heart condition—Horishima clung to Osada’s advice: "If you keep dreaming, the dream will be realized. If you put effort in without giving up, it will pay off." These words, which Horishima once wrote in his elementary school graduation album, have carried him through adversity, including a severe left knee ligament injury sustained at the World Championships in March 2025. After months of grueling rehabilitation, Horishima not only returned to competition but also topped the overall World Cup ranking for the 2025-2026 season. Osada, watching from Japan, praised his protégé’s resilience: "He showed us his own run which was truly remarkable. His determination to keep skiing until the very end inspired so many people."
Yet, Horishima’s story is far from over. "My goal is to win the gold four years from now," he declared, already setting his sights on the 2030 Games. "I want to keep training through these four years and return to this stage [of the Olympics.]" His determination echoes across the Japanese contingent, which has seen a wave of success across multiple disciplines in Milan and Cortina.
Figure skating, a perennial favorite among Japanese fans, has been equally compelling. Three-time Olympic medallist and three-time world champion Sakamoto Kaori is making her final appearance at the Games, aiming for a golden swan song in the women’s individual event. Sakamoto’s journey to Milano Cortina has been anything but smooth. Her last season was marked by emotional highs and lows: a disappointing short program at the Grand Prix Final in Nagoya left her in tears, but she rebounded with a bronze after a stunning free skate. At the Japanese nationals, she wept again—not just for her fifth consecutive title, but for the weight of her final competition on home ice, 21 years after she first laced up her skates.
Despite these challenges, Sakamoto has been a linchpin for the Japanese team, helping secure a narrow silver in the team event by winning both the short and free programs. The crowd at the Milano Ice Skating Arena has showered her with applause, a testament to her global popularity and the respect she commands among peers. Sakamoto herself acknowledges the pressure: "I’ve experienced every kind of pressure you can think of so I like to think I’ll be able to relate to one from the past. And if it’s something I’ve experienced, I think I can hack it." She plans to retire after these Games and transition into coaching, but not before making one final push for individual Olympic gold. "Winning a medal is an incredible feat. That said I wouldn’t mind one better than last time," she confided, hinting at her quiet ambition for gold.
Japanese athletes have shone brightly across the board in Milan and Cortina. Medal highlights include Takagi Miho’s bronze in the women’s 500-meter speed skating, Nikaidō Ren’s silver in the men’s large hill individual ski jumping—his third medal of these Games—and Totsuka Yūto’s gold in the men’s snowboarding halfpipe. Murase Kokomo clinched Japan’s first women’s snowboarding gold in the big air event, while Kimura Kira and Kimata Ryōma captured gold and silver, respectively, in the men’s big air snowboarding. The figure skating team, featuring Sakamoto, Miura Riku, Kihara Ryūichi, and others, secured silver behind the United States, demonstrating Japan’s depth and consistency in the sport.
Amidst the athletic achievements, the Japanese delegation has faced a sobering challenge off the field: a surge of online abuse targeting athletes and Games staff. Since January 18, 2026, approximately 62,000 abusive online posts have been identified, with 1,055 flagged for removal and 198 actually deleted. A Japanese athlete who withdrew from the Games due to injury was among those targeted. "Directing hurtful words at athletes harms their dignity and drains their power," said Hidehito Ito, head of the Japanese delegation, at a press conference in Milan. "We urge people to stop doing that." The Japanese Olympic Committee has deployed personnel in Italy to protect athletes from online abuse, monitoring social media around the clock with the help of artificial intelligence. The International Olympic Committee has also introduced AI systems to detect and address abusive comments, a move first implemented at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Despite these challenges, the spirit of Japanese athletes remains unbroken. The stories of Horishima, Sakamoto, and their teammates are a testament to resilience, sportsmanship, and the unyielding pursuit of excellence. As the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics continue, all eyes are on Japan’s stars—both seasoned veterans and rising talents—eager to see how their stories unfold in the days ahead. Whether it’s the pursuit of gold, the overcoming of adversity, or the quiet moments of reflection, the Japanese team continues to inspire on and off the world’s grandest sporting stage.