amber glenn error hands spotlight to Ami Nakai as Japan dominate women's short program
Japan seized control of the women's figure skating competition at Milan-Cortina 2026 after the short program, with 17-year-old Ami Nakai posting a season-best 78. 71 to lead a field that featured three of her compatriots in the top four. The night also brought heartbreak for one American, amber glenn, whose missed element ended her medal hopes and left her visibly distraught.
Nakai's breakout: a clean skate and a triple axel
Nakai delivered a composed, technically ambitious program that included a soaring triple axel and a triple lutz–triple toe combination, earning a personal-season high of 78. 71. The teenager's performance, set to an evocative score, held up through the rest of the evening and put her atop the leaderboard ahead of the free skate.
Kaori Sakamoto, the three-time world champion, slotted into second with a poised skate that showcased her trademark power and presentation, while Mone Chiba — a recent world bronze medallist — sat in fourth. The strong Japanese showing left the team poised to make history: no Olympic women's event has produced a clean podium sweep, but Japan's depth left the free skate wide open for a potential landmark result.
American hopes hit a snag; amber glenn's costly mistake
The United States, which entered the event with hopes of ending a long podium drought in women's singles, saw mixed results. Alysa Liu produced a rousing performance that thrilled the crowd with her signature style, but she was marked down for a slightly under-rotated triple lutz and finished third with a season-best that kept her very much in medal contention.
By contrast, amber glenn suffered a dramatic setback. The 26-year-old began strongly and even landed one of the night's rare triple axels, but her routine collapsed when a triple loop was judged an invalid element after she failed to complete the jump. That element was scored as zero, a blow from which she could not recover; Glenn exited the ice in tears and sits 13th overall, outside the top 24 cutoff for the free skate. Her Olympic medal bid is effectively over.
Other U. S. team members also struggled for consistency. Isabeau Levito was penalised on a step sequence and finished outside the top group, while the Americans who did produce big jumps found themselves chasing the clean execution and component scores of the Japanese skaters.
Other contenders and what comes next
Adeliia Petrosian, competing as an Individual Neutral Athlete, placed fifth and remains among the contenders who could break through in the free skate. Her coaching situation drew attention, with the athlete working under a well-known team environment though not listed with one prominent mentor on official paperwork.
Team GB's Kristen Spours, skating in what will be her final competition before retirement forced by injury, placed 29th and narrowly missed the top 24 needed to advance. The field of 29 was whittled down to the top 24 for the free skate, which is scheduled for Thursday evening (ET) and will decide the medals.
With the short program complete, the free skate promises a tense showdown. Japan's trio of Nakai, Sakamoto and Chiba enter as favourites to challenge for podium places, while Liu and others will need near-perfect long programs to alter the standings. For amber glenn and some of the disappointed competitors, attention will now turn to recovery and reflection after a night of high drama and shifting fortunes on the Olympic ice.
