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Japan’s Ami Nakai leads Olympic skating; American Alysa Liu in 3rd

February 17, 2026

MILAN — Russia’s ban from international competition has created a new world order in women’s figure skating, with the U.S. and Japan re-emerging as global super powers.

The two countries have won the last four World Championships women’s titles, a pattern that continued with the Milano Cortina Olympic Games short program Tuesday night.

Ami Nakai, the Japanese 17-year-old, won the short program with a score of 78.71, with teammate and three-time world champion Kaori Sakamoto second at 77.23 and Team USA’s Alysa Liu, the 20-year-old world champion, third at 76.59.

Amber Glenn, winner of the last three U.S. Figure Skating Championships, skated next to last in the night’s final group. She appeared headed into the lead midway through her program to Madonna’s “Like A Prayer,” opening with a triple Axel and coming back moments later with a triple flip, triple toe combination. But Glenn popped a triple loop and ended up 13th at 67.39.

Japan’s Mone Chiba was fourth at 74.00. Isabeau Levito of the U.S., the 2024 world silver medalist, is eighth at 70.85.

Sofia Samodelkina of Kazakhstan is 12th with a score of 68.47. Samodelkina, who turns 19 on Wednesday, was born in Moscow and was fifth in the 2022 Russian Championships before switching her allegiance to her mother’s native Kazakhstan in May 2024. Last summer, she relocated to Orange County to train with Rafael Arutyunyan at Great Park Ice in Irvine.

Orange County Register

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Japan’s Ami Nakai leads Olympic skating; American Alysa Liu in 3rd

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