The head of Team Japan for the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games has praised the group. It captured 24 medals -- the country's best-ever tally at any Winter Games.

Three Japanese skaters are in position to earn medals heading into the final

Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara delivered Japan's first Olympic gold medal in pairs skating, earning a world-record score for their free skate Monday to climb from fifth after their short program to the top step of the podium at the Milan Cortina Games.

Japan's Mari Fukada wins gold, and Kokomo Murase took home the bronze.

Japan won its first Olympic pairs gold and Georgia earned its first Winter Games medal at Milan Cortina 2026, rewriting figure skating history.

Most of the pairs in the competition struggled with mistakes—until Japan’s Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara took to the ice and drew the only standing ovation of the evening.

Only USA's Alysa Liu broke up Japan's trio of Ami Nakai, Kaori Sakamoto and Mone Chiba, who finished first, second and fourth after the short program.

MILAN (AP) — Ami Nakai and Japanese teammate Kaori Sakamoto upstaged Alysa Liu and the rest of the “Blade Angels” on Tuesday night. Nakai rode her opening triple axel to a career-best 78.71 points in her short program at the Milan Cortina Olympics,