Japanese teenager Ami Nakai was the surprise leader after the short program of the Olympic women’s figure skating competition on a night when her country’s skaters stole much of the attention from Team USA’s Blade Angels in an effort to end a 20-year medal drought for the United States.

Nakai skated clean and confidently on Tuesday, scoring a personal best score of 78.71 with a soaring triple axel, pushing three-time world champion Kaori Sakamoto (77.23) into second place. Only Japan’s Alisa Liu was able to break out of the top spot, scoring 76.59 points, ahead of fourth-placed Monet Choba (74.00 points).

Although they have never dominated the podium in women’s figure skating at the Olympics, Nakai, Sakamoto and Chiba will be eager for the chance to make history in this skating-mad nation heading into Thursday’s free skate, when medals will be decided.

Nakai, the youngest of the 29 skaters competing at 17, placed an early marker at the front of the penultimate group, landing a three-and-a-half turn jump to begin Nino Rosa’s program to La Strada, and scoring points with a triple Lutz-triple toe loop followed by a triple loop. It is unlikely that her score will hold up for the next 11 skaters.

Nakai said, “It’s like I’m dreaming.” “I tried to stay in my skate and have fun the rest of the skate.” “The Americans pushed me with some difficult jumps, including a triple axel. But at the same time, they’re all really nice guys, so I’m just trying to enjoy the time I get to spend with them on the ice.”

Sakamoto, who won three consecutive world championships and helped her win a bronze medal at the 2022 Olympics, performed elegantly on Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman’s Time to Say Goodbye, earning high points for her triple Lutz and double axel, but lost points for her slightly under-rotated triple Lutz and triple flip-triple toe combo.

Sakamoto said, “I made some small mistakes, but I did a good job.” “I was a little nervous in the first half, but as the music progressed, I became much more relaxed and had fun performing. It was a little lower than my team score, but I think it’s a good step towards the free skate.”

The 20-year-old Liu, who won last year’s world championships after returning from a two-year retirement due to burnout, scored a season-best score with a near-perfect routine set by Laufey and Dan Wilson and remained squarely in contention for the podium. If she wins a medal of any color on Thursday, she will become the first American woman to reach the Olympic podium in this event since Sasha Cohen won silver in 2006.

“It’s not my goal to beat them or not,” Ryu said of his Japanese rivals. “My goal is just to run my program and share my story, and I don’t need to be above or below anyone to do that.”

Her American teammates, who entered the contest with high hopes of competing for medals, did not have similar results.

Isabeau Levit, 18, who was skating just after Liu started the final group, finished eighth in the step sequence with a score of 70.84. Amber Glenn then skated to Madonna’s “Like a Prayer,” with a video message of encouragement from Madonna, and got off to a good start with the night’s only triple axel, sending the venue into a frenzy of roars. But the 26-year-old Texan and three-time U.S. champion lost seven points on a triple loop jumpout, derailing her program and dropping to 13th place with 67.39 points, leaving her in tears.

“I don’t know what happened,” Glenn told his coach as he got off the ice. “I had it.”

Adeliya Petrosyan, a three-time Russian champion who competed in the Olympics as an individual neutral athlete, was eliminated in the first group due to her lack of experience in international competition due to Russia’s war in Ukraine. Her clean skate to a Michael Jackson medley, including the climactic “They Don’t Care About Us,” placed her in fifth place with a personal best score of 72.89, putting her within striking distance of a medal.

“At first I was worried about my skating, not my skating.” [emotional] state. “This was the most important start of my life. I’m very calm. I hope this will help in the free skate. [short program] It has already helped me today. ”

18-year-old from Moscow receives guidance Controversial Eteri Tutberidzedid not attempt his signature quadruple jump or triple axel, but declined when asked if he would do so in Thursday’s free skate.

“I would like to keep this a secret because I never talk about my program,” she said.