The Olympic women’s figure skating competition kicked off on Tuesday, Feb. 17 with the short program.
Japan’s Ami Nakai finished in first place, while her veteran teammate Kaori Sakamoto finished right behind her in second. Team USA’s Alysa Liu grabbed third, while her teammates Isabeau Levito and Amber Glenn landed in eighth and 13th place, respectively.
Here are five key takeaways from a wildly competitive short program:
A good, clean skate
There’s no getting around it: The men’s Olympic event was nothing short of a splat-fest. Everyone from presumed gold medalist Ilia Malinin to notoriously consistent Yuma Kagiyama stumbled through their programs. When Kazakh skater Mikhail Shaidorov took home the gold, he did it because he was the only top skater to stay upright for two straight programs.
Those who watched the men’s event and wondered if the Milan ice was cursed need not wonder any longer. The women’s short program was beautifully executed from start to finish, and every single one of the top contenders landed their jumps cleanly.
Axels made all the difference
While the men are busy fighting their way through a quad arms race, the women are focused on an old favorite: the triple axel. It’s a devilishly difficult jump that features an extra half-rotation over every other jump in a skater’s arsenal, and precious few women in this Olympic field can do it with ease.
The ones who can — Japan’s 17-year-old phenom Ami Nakai and Team USA’s 26-year-old veteran Amber Glenn — leveraged it Tuesday with great effect. Nakai’s, coupled with her near-perfect short program to “La Strada,” catapulted her to the top of the leaderboard; Glenn’s kept her from falling out of the standings altogether after she under-rotated the final jump in her program.