Japan’s women have turned the Milan Cortina finale into a showcase of depth and daring, with multiple skaters capable of turning the free skate into a historic sweep. At the same time, a Russian prodigy with a loaded résumé is lurking just outside the Olympic field, raising the question of what the podium might look like if every leading name were in the same arena. The women’s event has become a collision of consistency, high-risk jumping and national systems that have spent years building toward this moment.
The grand finale of the women’s season is not only about who wins gold, but also about whether Japan can lock out the podium and whether the aura around Adelia Petrosian, built on domestic dominance, would translate to medals if she were here. That answer lies in a season of results that stretch from the ISU circuit to the Olympic rink in Milan, and in the pressure that comes with skating last when history is on the line.
Japan’s surge and the sweep conversation
Japan has arrived at the Winter Olympics with a women’s squad that looks capable of taking all three medals, a scenario that would have seemed ambitious even a few seasons ago. Reporting from Milan notes that Japan has already collected four medals in figure skating at these Games, with at least one in every event so far, and explicitly raises the possibility that a podium sweep is possible in the women’s competition, underlining how far the program has come in both depth and reliability across multiple disciplines, including singles and pairs, at the same Winter Olympics. A separate report from MILAN states flatly that Japan has a chance to sweep the women’s figure skating competition at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, framing the women’s free skate as an opportunity for the country to turn statistical dominance into a once-unthinkable medal haul for Japan.
The sweep talk is not hype without context; it is rooted in the way Japanese women have stacked major podiums all season. At the ISU Four Continents event earlier this year, Aoki Yuna captured the women’s crown by leapfrogging compatriot and former Four Continents champion Chiba Mone, with rising star Nakai Ami closing the show as the last skater on the ice, a sequence that highlighted how multiple Japanese skaters can trade wins at the same Four Continents event. An official post celebrated that result as “History in motion” and spelled out that Yuna Aoki not only soared to gold but led a Japanese podium sweep at the #4ContsFigure 2026 in Beijing, a rare clean sweep at a major ISU championship that set the template for what a Japanese sweep could look like on Olympic ice in Beijing.
Ami Nakai, Kaori Sakamoto and the Olympic short program
The Olympic short program confirmed that Japan’s internal hierarchy is fluid and that Ami Nakai is ready to lead. Japan’s Nakai Ami delivered under pressure on Tuesday evening, taking the women’s short program lead at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 with a performance that combined a big technical layout and steady execution, a result that placed her ahead of a field packed with established champions at the Olympic Games. One detailed recap describes how Japan has upstaged the United States in the women’s short program at the Milan Cortina Olympics, noting that Japan and Kaori Sakamoto were 1–2 in the standings, a snapshot of how the country has turned the short program into a platform for asserting control of the event at the Milan Cortina Olympics.
Visual coverage from the Winter Games captured the scale of that short program. One breakdown notes that in the women’s short program at the Winter Games on Tuesday, Japan’s Ami Nakai’s performance shined above them all, putting her in first place with a score of 78.71 after nailing a triple axel, while Japan’s Kaori Sakamoto delivered a powerhouse performance that earned a rousing ovation in Milan and second place with 77.23, bumping Alysa Liu to third with a 76.59 season’s best, a reshuffling that underlined how Japanese skaters are now setting the scoring bar for everyone else at the Winter Games. Another report describes how Ami Nakai and Japanese teammate Kaori Sakamoto upstaged Alysa Liu and the rest of the “Blade Angels” in CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy, reinforcing the idea that the Japanese pair have seized control of the narrative and pushed the American contingent into chase mode in CORTINA.
Depth behind the stars: Chiba, Teenager leaders and the U.S. response
Japan’s potential sweep rests on more than just two headliners; it depends on the supporting cast holding its nerve. One report points out that Chiba gave Japan three women capable of making it a podium sweep when the women’s free skate on Thursday night wraps up the figure skating competition, explaining that Chiba’s presence alongside Nakai and Sakamoto means Japan can afford one mistake and still realistically expect multiple medals on Thursday. Another profile describes how a Teenager leads Japan women’s figure skating team that could sweep Olympics podium, crediting a young leader with setting the tone for a squad that blends youthful ambition with the experience needed to navigate the pressure of the Olympics, and noting that the real intrigue is which of these Japanese women ultimately takes home a medal for Japan.
While Japan builds toward a possible sweep, the United States is scrambling to keep contact. A detailed account from the women’s short program explains that Isabeau Levito lost a level on her step sequence and wound up eighth with 70.84 points, while three-time reigning U.S. champion Amber fell further behind, a stumble that left the American women facing an uphill climb in the free skate after mistakes at a qualifying event in Japan. Another feature on Team USA’s figure skating squad explains that the American women, including Alysa Liu and others, are part of a broader team that has medal hopes across disciplines, but the women’s singles event in Milan now runs through Japanese skaters who have already shown they can outscore the “Blade Angels” in both technical content and program components at the Milan Cortina 2026 Games.
Petrosian’s shadow podium and the Russian question
While the Olympic podium will not include Russian skaters, the women’s event in Milan is taking place in the shadow of a domestic star who has built a formidable record at home. One profile of Adelia Petrosyan on social media spells out that she is an 18-year-old Three-time Russian Figure Skating Champion for 2024, 2025 and 2026, and also a Three-time Russian Grand Prix Final Champion for 2023, 2024 and 2025, a run that marks her as the dominant woman in Russian competition over multiple seasons and invites speculation about where she would slot into the Olympic field as a Three-time national champion. Another report from the Games describes how Russian champion Petrosian lives up to the hype, while adding that Tutberidze was not listed as a coach for Petrosian on the official start list, a detail that hints at changing coaching dynamics even as Petrosian continues to deliver under pressure for the Russian team.
Analysts looking at the women’s field often construct a “shadow podium” that includes Petrosian alongside the Olympic contenders, especially given the technical content she has shown in domestic events. Historical data from Google Sports and other statistical trackers is frequently used by commentators to compare base values and program components across competitions, even when skaters are segregated by eligibility rules or federation status. In that context, Petrosian’s jump arsenal and consistency suggest that if she were in Milan, she would likely be in the mix with Nakai Ami and Kaori Sakamoto, and her results add an extra layer of intrigue to any debate about who truly sits on top of the women’s discipline at the end of this Olympic cycle.
