\n<\/p>\n
Japan dominated the short program in the women’s figure skating at Milan-Cortina 2026 with their athletes occupying three of the top four places following the short program.<\/b><\/p>\n
Ami Nakai, 17, stormed to the top of the leaderboard with a season-best score of 78.71.<\/p>\n
She is followed by three-time world champion Kaori Sakamoto, while compatriot Mone Chiba – who won bronze at last year’s worlds – is in fourth.<\/p>\n
They took advantage of errors by the fancied Americans, with reigning world champion Alysa Liu third and Amber Glenn well down the field.<\/p>\n
Liu, with her immediately recognisable halo hair and lip piercing, took the roof off the arena as her routine was acclaimed by spectators ranging from team-mate Ilia Malinin to rap icon Snoop Dogg.<\/p>\n
However, she lost points on her triple lutz for landing on the quarter \u2013 not fully completing the rotation, instead returning to the ice 90 degrees short.<\/p>\n
American champion Glenn meanwhile suffered a disaster as she missed her triple loop \u2013 meaning it was scored as an invalid element, thus scoring zero points for that element.<\/p>\n
Glenn, 26, burst into tears as she exited the rink. She is 13th in the standings and knows her medal hopes are over.<\/p>\n
Adeliia Petrosian, the Russian champion competing as an Individual Neutral Athlete (AIN), is in fifth place.<\/p>\n
Team GB’s Kristen Spours – in her final event before injury-enforced retirement – finished 29th.<\/p>\n
The Woking-born skater misses out on the free skate, with the top 24 progressing to the medals decider on Thursday evening.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n