Nakai Ami tops short program at Kinoshita Group Cup 2026, Tokyo; 80.27 PB, first 80 in season opener

ISU Challenger Series Kinoshita Group Cup 2026: Shimada Mao’s strong worldwide senior debut trumped by Nakai Ami’s PB

Shimada places second in her maiden skate on the senior world stage with a 78.84, outdone only by her good friend and fellow 17-year-old Nakai, who starts her sophomore campaign with a personal best of 80.27.

Shimada Mao was strong in her highly anticipated global senior debut on Friday (4 September).

It’s just that Nakai Ami was slightly better.

Shimada owned the hype in the women’s short program at the Kinoshita Group Cup figure skating competition**,** but it was fellow 17-year-old and Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic bronze medallist Nakai who topped the leaderboard with a personal best of 80.27.

Shimada - who never lost to Nakai as a junior, or to anyone for that matter - scored a 78.84 after being a quarter short on her triple Axel, which may have been the difference between the two in the end.

Shimada, though, was all smiles after completing her maiden senior skate on the world stage.

“This season is my first season, and I feel like I have to work my way up from the bottom,” Shimada said. “First and foremost, I just have to try to keep up with the seniors. I’m not stressing like I was last season and was able to focus on myself today.

“The arena, the big crowd - everything was a bit different. I got my first taste of a senior competition, and I had a lot of fun.

“I’m not used to skating first, which took some getting used to. It made me nervous. I didn’t think the nerves would be any different, but I have to admit it was.”

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Nakai landed her triple Axel without a hitch as she broke the 80-point barrier for her first time. Apart from Shimada, she outperformed one of her idols, Beijing 2022 silver medallist Alexandra Ignatova, who produced a 74.92 in her first international competition in four years.

Kamilla Neliubova was third on 76.08 at the Challenger Series event.

Ever composed and so determined, Nakai was stellar in her 2026-27 debut, as if to remind everyone watching who the Olympic medallist from Japan was.

“I started to really pick it up from last week and began feeling like if I skate the way I usually do, I’ll be OK - and I like to think I was today,” Nakai said after her sophomore campaign got under way.

“I was shocked by my score. I never expected to hit 80 in my season opener, so I’m thrilled about how well I was marked.

“But that said, it’s still the short, and it’s only the first competition of the season, so I’m not entirely sure how to embrace it. For now I’m focusing on myself and not worry about who’s in first and whatnot.”

Nakai and Shimada rekindled their competition from their time together as juniors, and both are looking forward to pushing each other over the course of the upcoming season.

“We used to compete together all the time at juniors, and Mao was a big source of motivation for me, helping me push myself,” Nakai said. “So it’s great that I can compete with her again as seniors, and it motivates me for sure.

“At meets, I have a lot more time now talking to Mao, practising with her. It reminds me of our junior days, and I’m having a lot of fun spending time with her.”

The women’s competition in Tokyo concludes on Sunday with the free skate.

Nakai Ami has started the 2026-27 season strong by taking the short-program lead at the Kinoshita Group Cup.

Picture by The Yomiuri Shimbun