Kaori Sakamoto Stuns World with Record-Breaking Gold at 2026 Figure Skating Championships

Japan’s reigning three-time world champion Kaori Sakamoto opened her Milano-Cortina 2026 campaign with a spirited short-program that put her less than a point behind early leader Ami Nakai, keeping the 25-year-old firmly in the hunt for the Olympic gold that has eluded her illustrious résumé. Skating to “Feeling Good,” Sakamoto attacked her trademark triple flip-triple toe loop with characteristic power and closed with a level-four step sequence that brought the Mediolanum Forum crowd to its feet. “I wanted to skate like this was my final curtain call—and maybe it is,” she told Japanese press in the mixed zone, hinting again that these Games will be her swan song. The Kobe native enters Thursday’s free skate as the odds-on favorite thanks to her superior second mark and historically rock-solid stamina. Victory would make her the first Japanese woman to capture Olympic singles gold since Shizuka Arakawa in 2006 and would cement an era in which Sakamoto has already led Japan to three consecutive world team titles. Key rivals include U.S. champion Alysa Liu—currently sitting third—and Russia’s teenage prodigy Yulia Kurbatova, who landed a quad toe in qualifying but still must erase a seven-point deficit. With base value slightly lower than her quad-throwing challengers, Sakamoto is banking on pristine execution and the component score cushion she has built all season. How to watch: NBC, Eurosport and Japan’s NHK will carry the women’s free skate live on 19 February at 20:00 local, with replays on demand; the full event timetable and streaming links are available via the official Olympic portal. Why the buzz matters for fans and SEO searchers: • Kaori Sakamoto • Milano Cortina 2026 women’s figure skating results • free skate live stream and TV schedule • Olympic farewell performance Whether or not she steps away after Saturday’s medals, Sakamoto’s infectious charisma and textbook edge quality have already reshaped modern women’s skating. One last golden performance would simply give the sport’s “Energy Queen” the storybook ending global fans—and this week’s skyrocketing search traffic—are eagerly refreshing for.