The final medals in women’s figure skating at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan Cortina will be decided on Thursday, as the competition concludes with the highly anticipated free skate. After an intense short program, the podium picture is taking shape — but with the scores tightly packed at the top, everything remains up for grabs.
Alysa Liu in Medal Position
Team USA’s Alysa Liu enters the free skate in third place with a score of 76.59, putting her in strong contention for her first individual Olympic medal. Liu delivered one of the most technically ambitious programs of the night, landing a triple lutz–triple loop combination — the most difficult combination attempted by any skater in the field.
The California native has shown steady growth since finishing sixth at the 2022 Beijing Olympics. Earlier in these Games, Liu helped the United States secure gold in the team event, placing second in the women’s short program segment. Now, she has a chance to add an individual medal to her Olympic résumé.
Japan Leads the Field
Two Japanese skaters currently hold the top spots. Ami Nakai leads the standings with a 78.71, followed closely by reigning Olympic bronze medalist Kaori Sakamoto at 77.23. Japan’s Mone Chiba sits fourth with 74.00 points, meaning the country has three skaters within striking distance of the podium.
If the standings hold, Japan could make history by sweeping the medals in the women’s event — something that has never been accomplished at the Olympics.
The Chasers
Just outside the top four is Adeliia Petrosian with 72.89 points, followed by Anastasiia Gubanova (71.77) and Belgium’s Loena Hendrickx (70.93). Team USA’s Isabeau Levito, making her Olympic debut, is currently eighth with 70.84 points and will need a strong free skate to move up.
Amber Glenn, another American and a key contributor to the team gold medal, sits in 13th place with 67.39 after a mistake in her short program. Glenn has previously delivered powerful free skates and will look to climb the standings in the final segment.
How the Final Works
The women’s event is a two-skate competition. Scores from the short program and the free skate are combined to determine the final results. The short program lasts two minutes and 40 seconds (plus or minus 10 seconds), while the free skate extends to four minutes (plus or minus 10 seconds), demanding both stamina and technical precision.
The top 24 of 29 skaters advanced to the free skate, setting the stage for a dramatic conclusion.
When Is the Final?
The women’s free skate will take place on Thursday, Feb. 19.
What Time Does It Start?
The competition begins at 1 p.m. ET (12 p.m. CT / 10 a.m. PT).
How to Watch
NBC will broadcast the event live, and it will also be available for streaming on Peacock and NBCOlympics.com.
With Liu chasing a breakthrough medal, Japan aiming for a historic sweep, and several contenders within a few points of the podium, the women’s free skate promises to deliver one of the most compelling finishes of the Milan Cortina Games.
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