Japanese teen Ami Nakai overshadows US in women’s figure skating at Winter Olympics

Ami Nakai, 17, and Japanese teammate Kaori Sakamoto upstaged Alysa Liu and the rest of the ‘Blade Angels’ from the US on Tuesday night, taking the lead after the short program in the women's figure skating competition at the Milan Cortina Olympics.

Nakai, the youngest of the 29 skaters in the field, rode her opening triple axel to a career-best 78.71 points, while Sakamoto was right behind with 77.23 as she chases just about the only gold medal she has yet to win. Liu was third with 76.59, keeping her within range of the top step of the podium.

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Things didn't go quite so well for the rest of the American team.

Isabeau Levito lost a level on her step sequence and wound up eighth with 70.84 points, while three-time reigning U.S. champ Amber Glenn likely had her medal hopes dashed when she doubled up a triple loop, making the jump invalid and worth no points.

Glenn, trying to hold back tears as she stepped off the ice, was in 13th place with 67.39 points.

“I had it,” she told her coach, Damon Allen, who replied: “It's not over.”

Mone Chiba gave Japan three women capable of stacking the podium when the women's free skate on Thursday night wraps up the figure skating program at the Winter Games. She scored 74.00 points, putting her just ahead of Adeliia Petrosian of Russia.

The women's event has long been considered a showdown between the brilliant Japanese and the powerful Americans.

Petrosian wedged herself right in among them.

The world had barely seen the 18-year-old from Moscow because Russia remains barred from international competition following its invasion of Ukraine. But Pedrosian, who is coached by the controversial Eteri Tutberidze, was vetted and cleared by the International Olympic Committee of any ties to the military or the war, allowing her to take part and win a qualifying event in Japan.

Without any real world ranking to her name, Petrosian was the second to take the ice, slotted in among skaters with little chance to qualify for the free skate let alone touch the podium. But it was clear she was different the moment her music began.

With a medley of Michael Jackson hits playing, Petrosian — competing as a neutral athlete — whipped through her double axel, landed a triple lutz and capped the performance with a triple flip-triple toe loop that seemed downright effortless.

“I'm quite pleased with my score. It's good,” Petrosian said in Russian, “and I'm happy with it.”

She'll be even happier to be among the other favorites in the free skate Thursday night.

“I hope to be in the same warm-up group with them,” Petrosian said. “I haven’t really seen them yet because we are all in different practice groups. But it would be nice to be in the same warm-up group and compete against them.”