OLYMPICS: Figure Skating-Japan's team silver felt like gold, says Sakamoto

MILAN – Japan claimed the silver medal in the figure skating team event at the Milano Cortina Olympics, but Kaori Sakamoto said the team skated like champions, racking up segment wins and keeping the title fight alive until the very end.

"Everybody has done a gold-medal performance," said Sakamoto, a three-time world champion. "So it really doesn't matter what color medal we get."

This marked Japan’s second silver in an Olympic team event. At the Beijing Games, the team were initially awarded bronze before a delay in the medal ceremony due to Russian skater Kamila Valieva testing positive for a banned substance. Japan was later upgraded to silver when the final standings were confirmed in 2024.

Japan’s strong showing in Milan began on Saturday when Yuma Kagiyama won the men’s short program with 108.67 points, outscoring Olympic favorite Ilia Malinin.

In pairs on Sunday, two-time world champions Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara delivered another first-place finish, delighting fans waving Japanese flags around the arena.

Miura said their 155.55 points exceeded expectations. "When we saw the score, there was so much joy — we were overwhelmed with emotions," she said. "We didn’t really think about the team points... it was in the back of our minds, but we just wanted to do well and give our best."

Sakamoto then led the women’s segment.

"Seeing that I scored number one in the women’s category tonight was a big deal. I felt really emotional," the 25-year-old said.

The U.S. started Sunday with a five-point lead over Japan, but the gap quickly closed after the pairs and women’s programs, leaving both teams tied heading into the men’s free skate.

Shun Sato thrilled the crowd with the performance of his career, earning 194.86 points and keeping fans on the edge of their seats until the scores were announced — finishing just a few points behind Malinin’s 200.03.

The U.S. ultimately won with 69 points, followed by Japan with 68, and host Italy with 60.

"Seeing Ilia perform really well, and feeling the energy of the crowd, I was able to channel that positive mood and deliver a great performance," Sato said. "Of course, I wanted to surpass Ilia and do better than him. I respect him very much as a skater, and tonight’s performance shows me that I can improve to maybe one day beat him. It motivates me to do better next time."

-Reporting by Agnieszka Flak; Editing by Toby Davis/Reuters