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Alysa Liu of the United States competes in the women's figure skating short program at the Milan Cortina Winter Games. Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Winter Olympics women's figure skating: Favorites, outside challengers, wild cards

By Alyssa Clang | Last updated Feb 18, 2026 3:35 PM ET

The Winter Olympics women’s figure skating competition opened Tuesday with the short program, setting up a high-stakes showdown Thursday in the long program. That's where medals — and legacies — will be decided.

Japan’s teen sensation Ami Nakai, 17, soared to the top of the leaderboard in the short program, narrowly edging countrywoman Kaori Sakamoto, who landed in second. Team USA’s Alysa Liu claimed a strong third-place finish, keeping her podium hopes alive.

But the big questions remain: Who are the true medal contenders? Which skaters have the power to vault up the standings and claim Olympic glory? And how will Team USA’s “Blade Angels” — Liu, Amber Glenn and Isabeau Levito — factor into the fight for gold?

The race for the podium is just getting started.

Favorites in women's Olympic long program

Kaori Sakamoto (Japan), Mone Chiba (Japan), Ami Nakai (Japan), Alysa Liu (U.S.)

There's no getting around it: This event looks like it's Japan's to lose. Each of its three skaters delivered a textbook short program, and it wouldn't be a surprise to see them sweep the podium.

Veteran Sakamoto is the sentimental favorite, but Nakai — one of the few women in this competition who can land a triple axel — is on track to best her against the odds.

The only skater with a better-than-average shot at breaking up Japan's dominance is Liu. The Oakland native finished third in the short program and is putting in some of the most beautiful (and consistent) performances of her life at these Games.

Liu, the defending world champion, seems dialed in. “Whether I beat them or not is not my goal,” Liu said of her Japanese competitors, per The Athietic. “I don’t need a medal. I just need to be here, and I just need to present, and I need people to see what I do next.”

Liu isn't feeling any pressure. Every time she takes the ice, she's smiling and the arena shrinks down to just her and the music. Liu might not need a medal, but she's certainly on track to get one.

Outside challengers in women's Olympic long program

Adeliia Petrosian (Neutral Olympic Athlete), Amber Glenn (USA)

Russian skater Adeliia Petrosian, skating as a Neutral Olympic Athlete, surprised the field by finishing fifth in the short program. She's new to the international scene because of Russia's global sporting ban. But new or not, she looks like a genuine challenger for the podium.

The other challenger is a controversial one: Glenn.

Her doubled short program jump dropped her into 13th place, but those who think she can't make up that difference are forgetting figure skating's most important truth: Ice is slippery.

Skaters fall. Favorites choke. Unexpected dark horses emerge. Just look at the men's gold medalist, Kazakhstan's Mikhail Shaidorov, for proof. He finished his Olympic short program 16 points outside of first and made up the deficit thanks to a strong long program and weak long programs from competitors.

Amber is just nine points off the podium and 11 out of first. A clean triple axel — something only she, Nakai and (supposedly) Petrosian can do — will give her back four of those points on one jump alone. These Olympics aren't over for her.

Wild cards in women's Olympic long program

Loena Hendrickx (Belgium), Isabeau Levito (U.S.)

26-year-old Hendrickx is a fascinating skater. She's rarely mentioned in conversation with the world's best, but her grace, class and impeccable on-ice movement have earned her an absolute glut of podium finishes.

Hendrickx's long program doesn't have the same difficulty level as her competitors, but if she skates it cleanly — and her challengers fail to do the same with their programs — she could win a bronze medal.

Levito enters the long program in eighth, but she has something no one else in the field does: near-impeccable consistency. If the women's long program is as sloppy as the men's, Levito will be the biggest beneficiary,

Alyssa Clang

Alyssa is a Boston-born Californian with a passion for global sport. She can yell about misplaced soccer passes in five languages and rattle off the turns of Silverstone in her sleep. You can find her dormant Twitter account at @alyssaclang, but honestly, you’re probably better off finding her here

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