EVERETT, Washington — Olympic bronze medalist Ami Nakai of Japan leads Saatva Skate America, looking to complete a sweep of her two Grand Prix regular season events.
Nakai landed a triple Axel en route to 82.20 points — the world’s top short program score this season — going into Sunday’s free skate (4 p.m. ET, NBC and Peacock).
“I couldn’t feel my legs,” she said. “I was so nervous, but I was able to trust myself.”
Nakai leads by a significant 7.96 points over 2022 Olympic silver medalist Alexandra Ignatova from Russia, who last week finished second in China to become the first mom to make a Grand Prix singles podium.
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Nakai is the top returning women’s singles skater this season from the Milan Cortina Olympics. Gold medalist Alysa Liu is taking this year off. Silver medalist Kaori Sakamoto of Japan retired.
Nakai opened the Grand Prix season last month by repeating as Grand Prix France champion. She will qualify for December’s six-skater Grand Prix Final if she finishes first or second at Skate America, and possibly if she finishes lower.
Nakai, 18, efforted this season to do more mature programs than last season, which was her first on the senior international level.
“Obviously, I’m one year older, but I’ve also experienced a lot of events,” she said.
Nakai can make it four wins for Japanese women in the first four of six Grand Prix regular season events. Mao Shimada, the four-time world junior champion, and Mone Chiba, a two-time senior world medalist, won the last two weeks.
In her senior Grand Prix debut, American Alexa Gasparotto made history by becoming the first Black woman to land a triple Axel on the Grand Prix Series. Gasparotto, who placed 12th, previously landed a triple Axel in non-Grand Prix competition.
Earlier Saturday, world bronze medalists Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik topped the rhythm dance in their season debut.
Their score — 82.52 points — is four hundredths shy of the top score this Grand Prix season put up by Olympic gold medalists Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron of France.
“There’s so much more to improve, and I definitely feel like that wasn’t our best skate,” Kolesnik said. “Even on the practices here, we’ve done better.”
Zingas and Kolesnik are bidding to give the U.S. a 17th Skate America ice dance title in the last 18 editions.
They are the top returning U.S. dance couple with Olympic silver medalists Madison Chock and Evan Bates taking this season off and uncertain to return at all.
Skate America continues later Saturday at 9:30 ET on Peacock and NBCSN with the men’s free skate, featuring Ilia Malinin, and the pairs’ free.
