Which Japanese female athletes will climb the podium at the 2026 Winter Olympics for figure skating? Here's what you need to know and who you should cheer on!

As the cold winds blow, we are really feeling the season now. In Europe, Italy is almost ready to host the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics. Which Japanese female athletes will climb the podium at the 2026 Winter Olympics for figure skating? Mark your calendars: the competition runs from February 6 to 22. Here’s the lowdown on just some of the amazing Japanese female athletes hoping to make their nation proud on the world stage this year. 

• Kaori Sakamoto
• Ami Nakai
• Mone Chiba
• Rinka Watanabe
• Yuna Aoki
• Riku Miura/Ryuichi Kihara
• Yuna Nagaoka/Sumitada Moriguchi

Figure Skating Singles

Kaori Sakamoto

[

](https://cdn.savvytokyo.com/app/uploads/2026/01/Skate_Canada_2023_-_Kaori_Sakamoto_01.jpg)She is synonymous with charisma and clean skating.

Figure skating is not just about flair. It’s also about athletic skill. This has always been the mantra of veteran skater Kaori Sakamoto. Since her senior debut in 2017, she has proved she can skate, jump and spin better than the rest. She is synonymous with charisma and clean skating.

Her career has been a host of superlatives: the first Japanese woman to participate in three consecutive Olympics and the first Japanese athlete to win three successive World Championships (2022-2024). Copping bronze at Beijing in 2022, after Milano-Cortina, she is more than happy to pass the baton and enjoy her retirement.

Kobe-born Sakamoto was first inspired to become a figure skater after watching the J-drama Teru Teru Kazoku. Since her debut, the Japanese superstar has transformed from a tomboyish athlete to a sophisticated queen on the ice. When she’s not at the rink, she loves driving, doing 400-500 piece puzzles and making origami.  

Ami Nakai

[

](https://cdn.savvytokyo.com/app/uploads/2026/01/Ami_Nakai_following_her_short_program_at_the_2024%E2%80%9325_Grand_Prix_Final.jpg)Her signature move is the challenging triple axel.

This will be Nakai’s Olympic debut. The Japanese female athlete is one to watch at this Winter Olympics. Last year, the seventeen-year-old rookie copped gold at the Grand Prix de France (beating fellow teammate Sakamoto), silver at the Grand Prix Final and bronze at Skate Canada. 

Even though the high schooler bungled her performance at the Japan Championships last December, the Japan Skating Federation has high hopes that she will perform well at Milano-Cortina. 

This Niigata-born ice queen is all about upping her game, with her all-or-nothing attitude. She was initially inspired to skate after watching three-time World Champion and Olympic vet Asada Mao skate in shiny costumes on TV. 

Nakai’s skating style has been described as “flowy,” “liquid” and “storytelling” on ice. Her signature move is the challenging triple axel. In her downtime, she likes listening to music. 

Mone Chiba

[

](https://cdn.savvytokyo.com/app/uploads/2026/01/Mone_Chiba_performing_her_free_skate_at_the_2024-25_Grand_Prix_Final.jpg)She believes in giving it all to the very end. 

Like Nakai, this will be Chiba’s maiden games, but she’s no shrinking violet. Among other accolades, she’s won gold at the Four Continents Championships (2024), silver at the Grand Prix Final (2025) and bronze at the World Championships (2025).

Chiba was born in Sendai, the same hometown as legendary figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu. She considers Hanyu her idol and “big brother.” In her free time, the Waseda University student likes to wind down with a book or a spot of embroidery.

However, she has battled several health issues in the past. She even performed on the ice with gastroenteritis at the Four Continents Championships last year. Even though she didn’t medal, she believes in giving it all to the very end. 

Rinka Watanabe

First alternate is Rinka Watanabe. Already, she has climbed the podium at several major international competitions, including silver at Skate America (2025) and bronze in the Four Continents Championships (2024). 

The Chiba-born Watanabe started skating at four. After several setbacks due to injury, she wanted to quit skating but persevered to earn a place on the Japanese national Olympic team.  

The self-professed anime fan has a weird and wonderful hobby: collecting giant isopod merch. She’s also fluent in English, having lived with a host family during her pre-pandemic training days in Vancouver. And, she’s played Tony Tony Chopper on One Piece on Ice. Rinka-chan, you are a wonder!

Yuna Aoki

Second alternate is Yokohama-born Yuna Aoki. During her debut Four Continents Championships in January this year, she snatched gold. Fellow teammates Ami Nakai and Mone Chiba came in second and third, respectively. 

This Shizuka Arakawa fan is also the fourth woman in the history of the International Skating Union (ISU) competition to land the incredibly difficult triple Lutz-triple loop combination jump. 

Despite a series of injuries and a desire to retire at the end of university, she has continued to fight. Her skating has been described as “emotional” and “elegant,” one reason why she has been chosen for an Art on Ice show in Switzerland later this year. 

Pair Skating

Riku Miura/Ryuichi Kihara

[

](https://cdn.savvytokyo.com/app/uploads/2026/01/FCC_Day3_0315.jpg)They are a team through and through, especially during the tough times.

Since their Olympic debut at the Beijing Games in 2022, Rikuryu has climbed the leaderboard in just four years, earning a string of achievements. World Champions and Four Continents Champions in 2023 and 2025. Grand Prix Final winners in 2022 and 2025. 

Now, the heat is on. Will they come away with gold at Milano-Cortina? After becoming world champions, they admitted that they felt the pressure to perform. Now, the pair says they are putting the title behind them and focusing on the Games. 

They are a team through and through, especially during the tough times. Despite Riku suffering a dislocated shoulder, the unstoppable pair pulled through the All Japan Figure Skating Championships last December, grabbing gold. They just get on with it. And the results are remarkable with the team spinning, lifting and twirling all the way to the podium.

Yuna Nagaoka/Sumitada Moriguchi

Following in Rikuryu’s footsteps is Yunasumi. Although they have only paired up since 2022, they have already achieved some formidable results. They copped first place in the Japan Championships in 2023 and 2025 and third in the Four Continents Championships (2026) and the Asian Winter Games (2025). 

Hokkaido-born Nagaoka and Kyoto-born Moriguchi have been dividing their time between Kyoto and Canada, training for international tournaments. Their signature moves are high-speed lifts and the triple twist lift.

Although they are feeling the pressure to perform, the young duo hopes to make a solid debut at the Milano-Cortina. Making a strong showing at the Games will definitely be a career highlight for Nagaoka who celebrated her Coming of Age in January this year. 

Will the Games inspire you to get out there this winter? Check out our beginner’s guide to skiing in Japan!