Women’s Figure Skating Competition Kicks Off at Winter Olympics

The women’s individual figure skating event, often seen as a key highlight of the Winter Olympics, began in Italy on Tuesday.

Initially, it seemed to be a fantastic evening for Japan, with three of their skaters landing in the top four positions.

After the short program, Ami Nakai led the pack, followed closely by her teammate Kaori Sakamoto. Alisa Liu from Team USA secured third place, while Japan’s Momone Chiba rounded out the top four.

Competing under the Individual Neutral Athlete (AIN) banner, Russian skater Adelia Petrosyan set a solid standard early on, achieving a score of 72.89 as the second skater to perform. Petrosyan is a three-time national champion, and the score marked her personal best in the short program.

Seventeen-year-old Ami Nakai took the ice just before the final group. She executed the most challenging short program in the field, featuring a triple axel. Her flawless landing sparked a big smile, and she followed it up with a triple Lutz and a triple toe loop, finishing with an impressive 78.71 points—an electrifying performance that had the audience on their feet.

This score was the second-highest of this season, trailing only behind her teammate Sakamoto.

Lara Naki Gutman, a local favorite who had previously won a bronze medal with the Italian team, was next. Unfortunately, she fell short of her earlier performances, struggling on her triple Lutz attempt, landing a double instead, which cost her eight points.

Her final score of 61.56 placed her in 12th position.

The narrative shifted to the final group, which featured American skaters Alisa Liu, Amber Glenn, and Isabeau Levit, alongside Japan’s Sakamoto and Chiba as strong contenders for medals.

Liu took to the ice as the 2025 world champion, opening with a flawless triple flip, then a double axel, and a spin sequence. She held back on her triple-triple combination until later in the routine to maximize her score but fell slightly short on the second half of a triple-Lutz-triple-toe loop combo.

When the music stopped, Liu’s technical score was 42.83, undercutting Nakai’s score of 45.02.

Following Liu, Ryu performed well enough to secure second place with a score of 76.59.

Next up was Levit, who, after missing the team competition, was eager to make an impression. She started strong with a triple flip and toe loop combination. However, while attempting a later triple toe loop, judges found it lacked enough rotation, leading to deductions. Her final score was 70.84, putting her in fifth place.

Georgia’s Anastasia Gubanova managed to clinch fourth place with a score of 71.77 while Sakamoto took the victory. Skating to Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman’s “Time to Say Goodbye,” Sakamoto opened her routine with a triple Lutz and executed a combination of jumps neatly, finishing with a technical score of 42.19.

Once the judges gave their scores, Sakamoto found herself in second place overall with 77.23, just behind Nakai and narrowly ahead of Liu.

Amber Glenn, the last of the “Blade Angels,” followed next. Her program included a triple axel, which was among the few in the competition. However, she stumbled out of a double loop, resulting in no score for that element and a loss of seven crucial points, clearly displaying her disappointment as she exited the rink.

“It’s over,” Glenn remarked as she left the ice, encapsulating the intensity of the moment.

With commentary from Tara Lipinski, who noted how a single miscalculated jump can change the game, Glenn’s score of 67.39 placed her in 12th position.

Finally, Japan’s Momone Chiba stepped onto the ice, delivering a strong performance that earned her a score of 74.00, allowing her to move into fourth place behind Liu.

The top 15 skaters from the women’s short program are now set, as the competition builds towards the free skate on Thursday at 1 p.m. ET.