Olympic Short Program: alysa liu Holds Podium Spot as Japan’s Ami Nakai Surprises

Japan dominated the opening night of the Olympic women's figure skating short program, with 17-year-old Ami Nakai delivering a breakout performance that put her in the lead. The Japanese trio of Nakai, Kaori Sakamoto and Mone Chiba claimed three of the top four positions, but alysa liu kept the United States alive in the medal chase with a strong, season-best short program. The free skate on Thursday (ET) will decide the medals.

Nakai stuns with clean skate and a triple axel

Nakai, the youngest competitor in the field, produced a composed short program that featured a towering triple axel and a triple lutz–triple toe loop combination. Her personal-best score of 78. 71 set an early bar that held up as the later groups skated. Nakai opened her routine to La Strada by Nino Rota and combined technical difficulty with poise, landing a triple loop as well and earning high marks from the judges.

The quality of Nakai’s elements and the confidence of her presentation were striking for a 17-year-old on the Olympic stage. After her skate she said she felt like she was dreaming and focused on staying in the moment and enjoying the ice, noting the presence of strong American jumpers around her. With Nakai at the top, she and her Japanese teammates look poised to contend for a historic finish in the free skate on Thursday (ET).

aly sa liu’s season-best keeps U. S. hopes intact

aly sa liu delivered a near-flawless short program set to Promise by Laufey and Dan Wilson, earning a season-best 76. 59 and slotting into third place behind Nakai and Sakamoto. The 20-year-old world champion returned to competition last year after a two-year break and has steadily rebuilt her competitive résumé. A podium finish on Thursday would end a long drought for American women in the Olympic singles event.

Liu emphasized that her focus remains on performing her programs and sharing her personal journey rather than on direct rivalry with the Japanese skaters. Her clean delivery on Tuesday provided an important psychological boost for the U. S. camp as they aim to break the country’s absence from the Olympic podium in this discipline since 2006.

Mixed results for American teammates and what to watch in the free skate

While Liu kept the medal conversation alive, several of her American teammates struggled to match early expectations. Isabeau Levito was penalized a level on her step sequence and finished eighth with 70. 84 points. Amber Glenn produced one of the night's other triple axels and generated an electrifying moment, but errors prevented a top placement. Overall, the U. S. group fell short of delivering the clean pack skate needed to guarantee medals going into the free program.

Japan’s Kaori Sakamoto, the three-time world champion, sat second after the short despite losing a few points to under-rotation calls; she remains a formidable contender with strong components and big-jump capability. Mone Chiba, fourth after the short, completes a trio that could mount a rare and potentially historic podium sweep for a single nation.

All eyes now turn to the free skate on Thursday (ET). Technical content, jump execution and program components will determine whether Nakai can hold her lead, whether Sakamoto or Chiba can climb, and whether alysa liu can deliver the consistency required to become the first American woman on the Olympic podium in this event since 2006. Expect strategists to weigh jump layouts carefully and for skaters to chase crisp landings under the pressure of medal-deciding free skates.