Overview
- Ami Nakai, 17, has been selected for Japan’s figure skating team for the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics.
- At a send-off event hosted by her high school in Chiba Prefecture on Jan. 15, she said she wants to end her first Olympics with a smile and repay supporters through her performance and results.
- She plans to include the triple Axel in both her short program and free skate at the Games, a high-difficulty element that has become her hallmark.
- Her immediate schedule calls for the Four Continents Championships in Beijing starting Jan. 22 before traveling to Italy for the Olympics opening Feb. 6.
- Media interest around her has grown, with reporters at her Jan. 14 public practice rising to 75 from about 60 in November.