GP Final Women’s Singles: Alysa Liu turns it around for gold as Ami Nakai takes silver and Kaori Sakamoto’s fighting free earns bronze
On 6 December 2025, the women’s singles event at the ISU Grand Prix Final in Aichi International Arena turned into a thriller decided by the free skate. Alysa Liu of the United States produced a comeback victory with 222.49 points in total, Ami Nakai scored 220.89 for silver, and Kaori Sakamoto climbed from fifth after the short to secure bronze with 218.80. Two Japanese skaters on the podium and six world-class performances made this one of the standout competitions of the season.
Official results – women’s singles
| Place | Skater | Country | Total | SP rank | FS rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alysa Liu | USA | 222.49 | 2nd | 3rd |
| 2 | Ami Nakai | Japan | 220.89 | 3rd | 2nd |
| 3 | Kaori Sakamoto | Japan | 218.80 | 5th | 1st |
| 4 | Amber Glenn | USA | 211.50 | 6th | 4th |
| 5 | Momone Chiba | Japan | 210.22 | 1st | 6th |
| 6 | Rinka Watanabe | Japan | 207.14 | 4th | 5th |
Data based on ISU official results (Women – Short Program, Free Skating, Overall).
From Chiba’s short program lead to a wild free skate shuffle
In the short program on day two, it was Momone Chiba who took the spotlight. She delivered a personal-best 77.27 points to grab the lead, followed by Alysa Liu in second on 75.79 and Ami Nakai in third with 73.91, giving the top three to a new wave of Japanese and American skaters.
Three-time World Champion Kaori Sakamoto, meanwhile, faltered on her triple lutz and had to settle for 69.40 points and fifth place. That set the stage for a free skate where the standings were destined to change dramatically.
In the free, Sakamoto roared back with a brilliant performance to Edith Piaf music, scoring 149.40 – the highest free skate score of the event – with speed, flow and secure jumps. Second in the free was Nakai’s aggressive 146.98 with a clean triple Axel, while Liu posted 146.70 for third in the free but held on to overall gold thanks to her advantage from the short. Chiba, who led after the short, suffered two falls and deductions to score 132.95 in the free and slipped to fifth overall. Amber Glenn moved up from sixth to fourth with a 144.65-point free.
Alysa Liu: seven triples and a “steady comeback” to her first GP Final crown
Skating this season as reigning World Champion, Alysa Liu came into the free from second place after the short and showed why she is considered a top gold-medal contender for Milan–Cortina 2026. To the disco classic “MacArthur Park” by Donna Summer, she put down a 2A and seven triple jumps without major errors, combining high base value with solid second marks for a 146.70-point free.
The free score alone ranked third, but her consistency across both programs lifted her to 222.49 total and her first-ever Grand Prix Final title at senior level, following her Skate America victory and World Championship gold earlier in the season. With this result, Liu has strengthened her status as one of the favourites heading into the Olympic season.
Ami Nakai: triple Axel power drives her to silver
For Ami Nakai, this is her first senior season. Starting from third after the short, she opened her free with a clean triple Axel and kept attacking with a high-risk jump layout. She earned the highest technical score of the event at 79.27 and posted 146.98 in the free, finishing with 220.89 in total and the silver medal.
After winning the Grand Prix de France earlier in the autumn, she has now added a Grand Prix Final medal to her résumé. Under the Japan Skating Federation’s Milan–Cortina 2026 selection criteria, the results of the “top two Japanese skaters at the GP Final” are listed among the reference points for choosing the second and third Olympic spots. With this silver, Nakai has dramatically strengthened her position in the race for a place on the Olympic team.
Kaori Sakamoto: free skate victory and a pride-filled bronze
Veteran Kaori Sakamoto, who has already announced that she will retire at the end of this season, went into the free from a difficult fifth-place position. Skating to a medley of Edith Piaf songs, she delivered a program that truly embodied the word “gutsy”, combining speed, confident jump landings and deep, powerful skating. Her 149.40 points were the highest free skate score in the women’s event and lifted her to 218.80 overall and the bronze medal.
For Sakamoto, who is heading toward her last Nationals and Olympics, standing on the podium at a Grand Prix Final held at home in Japan carries special meaning. This result gives her momentum going into the All-Japan Championships and what will be the climax of her final competitive season.
Chiba, Glenn and Watanabe: stories behind places 4–6
Short program leader Momone Chiba fell on her triple loop and triple salchow in the free and also incurred two deduction points, scoring 132.95 and dropping to fifth with a total of 210.22. Even so, with two Grand Prix victories and qualification for the Final this season, she has clearly shown she can compete at the very top of the world.
Defending GP Final champion Amber Glenn singled her trademark triple Axel in the short and had to start the free from sixth. In the free, however, she landed the 3A cleanly and fought back with a 144.65-point performance that carried her up to fourth overall.
Rinka Watanabe produced a stable free with 136.46 points and finished sixth overall with 207.14, underlining once again the depth of Japanese women’s singles.
Toward Milan–Cortina 2026: Japan’s Olympic spots on the line
Under the Japan Skating Federation’s 2025–26 international assignment criteria, one of Japan’s three women’s singles spots for the Milan–Cortina Olympics will go automatically to the All-Japan Championships winner. The remaining spots will be decided based on a comprehensive evaluation of results at Nationals (2nd and 3rd place), the top two Japanese skaters at the Grand Prix Final, and season’s best scores, among other factors.
With Nakai and Sakamoto now both on the GP Final podium, and Chiba coming in as a two-time Grand Prix winner this season, they have all emerged as leading candidates for the Olympic team, joined by Watanabe with her triple Axel as a major weapon. The All-Japan Championships in Yoyogi National Gymnasium from 19–21 December 2025 are shaping up as a de facto “final qualifying event” with even more attention than usual.
SNS highlights
Fans can relive the excitement of the Grand Prix Final through highlight videos and comments posted on official social media accounts.
Alysa Liu’s first-ever Grand Prix Final medal is GOLD ✨
From Alysa Liu’s historic first GP Final title to Ami Nakai’s triple Axel silver and Kaori Sakamoto’s pride-filled free in her farewell season, the women’s event in Nagoya encapsulated both the present and the future of women’s figure skating.
