Article by Roxana Fleşeru – Published Wednesday, February 18, 2026, 4:26 p.m. / Updated Wednesday, February 18, 2026, 4:34 p.m.
Nakai Ami (17 years old) is the first after the short program in front of the more experienced Kaori Sakamoto (25), Alysa Liu (20) and Mone Chiba (20). The little Japanese is in his first senior season.
Ami Nakai is 1.50m tall and has an anime smile. She skated with joy and enthusiasm and is first after the short program with a total of 78.71. She topped Kaori Sakamoto (77.23), Alysa Liu (76.59) and Mone Chiba (74.00) on Tuesday night.
“I am not here at these Olympics with the goal of getting a medal, but to enjoy this competition as much as I can, until the last moment. Since this is my first Olympics, I have nothing to lose, and this mentality was definitely reflected in my results,” said Ami Nakai.
The teenager performed a clean triple Axel and a triple lutz-triple tulup combination in the short program, which brought her high technical scores. “I am shocked and incredibly happy at this moment that I was able to achieve such a performance on this grand stage,” Nakai said after the competition.
The young skater said the preparation in practice gave her the confidence to execute the triple Axel, one of the most difficult jumps in figure skating. “I created a clear picture of the competition since training and approached it with that mindset. I really believed in myself until the last moment. I think that's what allowed me to succeed,” emphasized Ami.
Ami Nakai with his trainer PHOTO Guliver/GettyImages
She wanted to make it to the Milan-Cortina Olympics to skate with the girls she admired as a child, but she came fourth at the National Championships, one of the selection competitions. His subsequent developments led Japanese officials to grant him the Olympic ticket.
“At the beginning of the season, I wasn't thinking about the Olympics at all,” Nakai told olympics.com. “I thought it was something far away and it didn't cross my mind. I went to every single competition and in the end I won a place at the Olympics.”
Nakai spent most of her junior career in the shadow of Mao Shimada, a junior Olympic champion and three-time world junior champion. The two are the same age, but Shimada was born four months too late and did not meet the age criteria for Milano-Cortina.
Ami Nakai landed her first triple Axel in sixth grade
Ami Nakai's journey in the world of skating began thanks to the Olympics. At four, she watched Mao Asada's performance at Vancouver 2010 on television with her parents. Asada's silver-medal performance, combined with the glittering costumes, mesmerized her. “I wanted to try it myself. I wanted to wear shiny suits,” Nakai recounted.
In 2011, he began skating at a newly opened rink near his hometown of Niigata. From childhood, Nakai was animated by a strong desire to win. “I never wanted to lose, no matter what,” she said, citing family New Year's card games and relay races at sports festivals when she insisted on being first.
Ami Nakai floating on ice PHOTO Guliver/GettyImages
Her love for skating led her to make bold decisions, such as leaving her hometown after finishing elementary school to train at the MF Academy in Funabashi, Chiba with her mother.
Following in Mao Asada's footsteps, Nakai landed his first triple Axel in sixth grade. However, her path was not without obstacles. During her ninth grade season, Nakai experienced some lower back pain, which caused her to miss the National Championships.
Ami Nakai: “It's good to have gone through those challenges”
She wanted to come back stronger, so she changed her lifestyle – adding jogging sessions after workouts and incorporating vegetables into her diet, despite the fact that she didn't like them. “Looking back, I think it was good that we went through those challenges during that time,” Nakai said. This change paid off, with her returning to the podium at the Junior Grand Prix final last December.
In his first senior season, he encountered other problems. He had to redo his free schedule due to copyright, debuting on the big stage later.
Ami Nakai spoke before the Olympics about his power of self-evaluation. “I'm pretty good at self-analysis. I like to analyze my own performances. I really like the process of going back and seeing what worked and what didn't work. It's a moment where I can look in the mirror and I think that allows me to be myself,” she said.
Ami Nakai at the end of the program PHOTO Guliver/GettyImages
Off the ice, the little Japanese says she is also concerned about the things that can help her on the ice. “I do mental training and I read a lot about how athletes fight their demons. I read books about different athletes and how they overcome their fears. I learned a lot and applied some things. I try to see what works for me and what doesn't,” she emphasized.
The free program in the women's event takes place on Thursday, from 20:00.
