Ami Nakai entered her first Olympics insisting she was not here for medals — but after the short program at the Milano Cortina Games, the 17-year-old figure skater found herself at the top, ahead of national icon Kaori Sakamoto and rising star Mone Chiba.
Japan finished first, second, and fourth on Tuesday, cementing a formidable presence heading into the free skate on Thursday. American Alysa Liu finished third.
Nakai's clean, confident skate was anchored by a soaring triple Axel. She approached the moment with an ease unusual for an Olympic debut.
"I'm not here at this Olympics with the goal of achieving a high result, I'm really looking forward to enjoying this Olympics as much as I can, till the very last moment," she said.
"Since this is my first Olympics, I had nothing to lose, and that mindset definitely translated into my results," she said.
Her carefree confidence has unexpectedly put her in medal contention, though she cannot imagine herself surpassing Sakamoto, the three-time world champion who is skating the final chapter of her competitive career. Nakai scored 78.71 points in the short program, ahead of Sakamoto's 77.23.
"There's no way I stand a chance against Kaori right now," Nakai said. "I'm just enjoying these Olympics and trying my best."
Sakamoto, 25, who has said she will retire after these Games, is chasing the one accolade missing from her resume: Olympic gold.
Having already secured a bronze in Beijing in 2022 and team silvers in both Beijing and Milan, she now aims to cap her career with an individual title.
She delivered a polished short program to "Time to Say Goodbye," earning a standing ovation.
Sakamoto later said she managed her nerves well and felt satisfied, adding that having three Japanese skaters in the top four spots "really proves that Japan is getting stronger". She did not feel unnerved about finishing behind Nakai, who also bested her at the Grand Prix de France in October.
"I expected to be surpassed after she landed a triple Axel ... but the most important thing is how much I can concentrate on my own performance, do my best, stay focused for the free skate," she said.
Chiba placed fourth and said she felt energised heading into the free skate, especially after choosing to perform to music from the soundtrack of "Romeo and Juliet" in Italy.
"The rankings are really decided in the free program, so I'll just try to stay calm and focused in the free program and perform my own style without any mistakes," said the 20-year-old, widely regarded as the rising all-rounder whose steady ascent has made her one of Japan's most promising skaters.
All three skaters mentioned how seeing Japanese pair Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara deliver a stunning comeback, storming from fifth place after a shaky short program to capture Japan's first Olympic figure skating pairs gold medal, inspired them.
"I was really moved by Riku and Ryuichi last night," Chiba said. "The three of us girls talked about trying to live up to that standard."
