Ami Nakai: “It’s been such a long season, and I never had to keep jumping the axel this much when I was a junior. Honestly, motivation and maintaining a good condition were really difficult.”
Ami Nakai finished ninth at Worlds after a challenging season, reflecting on her struggles and determination to keep improving as she prepares for new rivals next year.
original source: Nikkansports 27th March 2026 by Daisuke Fujitsuka
Ami Nakai (17), who started in eighth place after the short program, dropped one spot to finish ninth overall. She scored 130.90 points in the free skate, also placing eighth in that segment, for a total of 200.00 points. Here’s a translation of her comments posted on Nikkansports.
She lost balance and fell on her opening triple axel, and later in the program, her triple lutz became a single rotation with a two-foot landing. Her total score was her lowest in an ISU-sanctioned event this season. After her performance, she looked downcast, unable to hide her disappointment.
“It’s been such a long season, and I never had to keep jumping the axel this much when I was a junior. Honestly, motivation and maintaining a good condition were really difficult.”
Even so, in the SP on the 25th, she made a mistake where her triple axel became a double, but she said, “Being able to skate to the end without giving up is something I learned at the Olympics,” and she approached the event with that mindset. Although she didn’t succeed with the big elements this time, she bravely attempted them until the end.
“It really was a long season, and it was tough emotionally, but now that it’s over, I feel I really did my best through it all.”
At the Milan-Cortina Olympics in February, Nakai became the youngest Japanese skater to reach the podium, winning bronze. Acknowledging the pressure of being an Olympic medalist, she said at her first World Championships, “I want to focus on enjoying this first experience,” and maintained a challenging spirit to the end.
Next season, Kaori Sakamoto, who has led Japanese figure skating for years, will retire, and Nakai’s longtime junior rival Mao Shimada will move up to seniors. “Thinking about becoming the top myself honestly makes me anxious. I want to set clear goals and make sure they lead to real results,” she said, looking ahead.
Related topics: Ami Nakai, world championship
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