Alysa Liu in 3rd after Olympic figure skating short program, Japan’s Ami Nakai and Kaori Sakamoto lead
The Olympic women’s figure skating competition opened with a showcase of Japan’s depth, while the United States remained firmly in the medal mix, at the Milano Ice Skating Arena on Tuesday.
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Ami Nakai delivered a stellar performance to take the short program lead with 78.71 points. The 17-year-old skated with remarkable composure in her Olympic debut, combining confident jumps — including her triple Axel — with polished presentation to edge out teammate Kaori Sakamoto, who followed closely in 2nd with 77.23 points.
“After my triple Axel went well, I just tried to stay in my skate and have a good time for the rest of the skate,” Nakai said via translator. “I’m really pleased with the high score, especially on a stage like the Olympics, so I’m just really glad.”
Sakamoto, the reigning Olympic bronze medalist and three-time world champion, brought her trademark speed and power to her emotional “Time to Say Goodbye” short program, earning the highest program components score of the night and keeping herself squarely in contention heading into the free skate.
“There was a little bit of nerves” a translator who spoke for Sakamoto said when the event concluded. “And the first half, she was a little bit anxious. But as the music goes on, she got very comfortable, and she was able to really enjoy her performance today. And although [today’s score] was a little bit lower than the scores she did in the team event, this will be a good step to the free day after tomorrow.”
FULL RESULTS
Just behind them, Alysa Liu continued her remarkable comeback story with a poised skate for 76.59, placing 3rd. Competing in her second Olympic Games after stepping away from the sport following Beijing, Liu looked calm and centered, setting herself up as Team USA’s top contender going into the final segment.
“It felt great,” Liu said after skating. “I don’t know if I felt this good because it was Olympic ice, or because my best friend, my siblings, my parent and my friends were watching. I don’t know which it is — I’m just really happy, and this moment is really exciting.”
Japan made it three skaters in the top four as Mone Chiba finished 4th with 74.00 points, rebounding from recent pressure-filled outings with a strong showing that reminded the field why she earned world bronze last season.
Individual neutral athlete, Adeliya Petrosian, placed 5th with one of the strongest technical scores of the night.
