The opening ceremony of the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics takes place this Friday, February 6, with some competitions starting a couple of days earlier. In preparation for the event, we thought we’d have a look at Japan’s best medal prospects for our latest List of 7. 

List of Contents:

Hirano receiving a gold medal in Beijing 2022

Ayumu Hirano

Despite suffering multiple fractures and bruises at a recent World Cup event in Switzerland, snowboarder Ayumu Hirano was named in the Olympic roster by the Ski Association of Japan. After suffering the injury, he was sent back home for a checkup and, fortunately, no misalignments were found. It’s not exactly ideal preparation for the 27-year-old Niigata Prefecture native, though, as he aims to follow in the footsteps of Shaun White by winning back-to-back halfpipe golds. Following silver medals in Sochi and Pyeongchang in 2014 and 2018, respectively, Hirano landed three triple corks to deservedly top the podium in Beijing ahead of Australia’s Scotty James.

James and compatriot Valentino Guseli are expected to be among Hirano’s biggest rivals in Italy. The three-time Olympic medalist can also expect stiff competition from his fellow countrymen: Yuto Totsuka, Ruka Hirano and Ryusei Yamada. They are part of a strong Japanese snowboarding squad heading to Italy. In the women’s halfpipe competition, Sena Tomita, Mitsuki Ono, Rise Kudo and Sara Shimizu are all capable of medaling. Shimizu picked up a silver medal at last year’s FIS Freestyle Ski and Snowboarding World Championships, aged just 15. The competition was won by America’s Chloe Kim, who is the favorite to top the podium in Italy. 

Kokomo Murase

At the FIS Freestyle Ski and Snowboarding World Championships in Switzerland last year, Japan swept the podium in the women’s snowboard big air competition with Kokomo Murase taking home the top prize ahead of Reira Iwabuchi and Mari Fukada. In fourth place was Momo Suzuki, another Japanese competitor. The four of them will be representing their country at the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics in both the big air and slopestyle competitions. All are capable of medaling, though Murase is arguably seen as the brightest prospect as she looks to improve on her impressive performance at the Beijing Games four years ago.

Just 17 at the time, she won a bronze in the big air event, becoming the youngest female medalist in Japan’s Winter Olympic history, after finishing 10th in the slopestyle competition. “The bronze medal made me happy at first, but frustration grew stronger as time passed,” said Murase. “I’m aiming for the top in both (this time).” As well as her compatriots, Murase can expect serious competition from the likes of New Zealand’s Zoi Sadowski-Synnott, Austria’s Anna Gasser and Britain’s Mia Brookes. In the men’s big air and slopestyle competitions, Japan’s Taiga Hasegawa, Hiroto Ogiwara, Kira Kimura and Ryoma Kimata are among the leading medal contenders. 

Ikuma Horishima 

Japanese freestyle skier Ikuma Horishima is expected to be a strong contender in the men’s moguls and dual moguls competitions. The 28-year-old Gifu Prefecture native currently tops the FIS World Cup standings for moguls skiing, with two victories and two second-place finishes in five events. “There’s an 80% probability that continuing this form will secure a medal,” said Horishima during a recent press conference. “I’d probably rate my chance of winning a gold or silver at 40%. While the Olympics doesn’t necessarily yield such precise results, I’ve managed to build up to this point in that manner.” He added that his goal is to win two golds. 

Horishima burst onto the scene nine years ago when, aged just 19, he became the first man to complete a moguls-dual moguls double at the FIS Freestyle Ski and Snowboard World Championships. He reclaimed the moguls title in 2025 after years of dominance by Canada’s Mikaël Kingsbury, who is widely considered the greatest moguls skier of all time. Kingsbury is a favorite for gold in both competitions. Horishima is seen as his biggest threat. Japan’s Shota Hirayama also has an outside chance of a medal. Leading contenders in women’s moguls are Australia’s Jakara  Anthony, France’s Perrine Laffont and Jaelin Kauf from the US. Hinako Tomitaka is Japan’s best medal hope. 

Takagi receiving a gold medal in Beijing 2022

Miho Takagi

Japan’s most decorated Winter Olympian, speedskater Miho Takagi already has seven medals from three Games: two golds, four silvers and one bronze. She’ll be aiming to defend her title in the 1,000 meters in Italy, while looking to improve on the two silver medals she won in the 1,500-meter races in 2018 and 2022. She’s also competing in the team pursuit, which Japan won in Pyeongchang, and has been named as an alternate in the 500 meters. She has the right to compete if she chooses. It’s arguably her weakest distance, though she did win a surprise silver medal in the event four years ago.

Her main rivals are expected to come from the Netherlands, notably Femke Kok and Jutta Leerdam in the 1,000 meters and Antoinette Rijpma De Jong and Joy Beune in the 1,500 meters. American pair Brittany Bowe and Erin Jackson also pose a threat. Aside from Takagi, Japan’s best hope of a medal in women’s speed skating probably comes from Yukino Yoshida in the 500 meters. In the men’s 500-meter race, Wataru Morishige is capable of equaling or possibly even bettering his third-place finish from Beijing. In short-track speed skating, Mirei Nakashima and Shogo Miyata are Japan’s best medal prospects. 

Ryoyu Kobayashi 

One of the greatest ski jumpers of all time, Ryoyu Kobayashi is the defending Olympic champion in the men’s normal hill competition. The 29-year-old Iwate Prefecture native, who also picked up a silver in the large hill event in Beijing four years ago, has won 37 World Cups during his career. That places him sixth on the all-time list for men. Two of those wins came this season, though he’s currently in second place on the 2025-2026 leaderboard behind Slovenia’s Domen Prevc, who is seen as the man to beat in Italy. Another name to look out for is Kobayashi’s fellow countryman Ren Nikaido. 

In women’s ski jumping, Prevc’s sister, Nika, is the standout name. The 20-year-old is well out in front this season and has 35 World Cup victories in total. Japan’s Sara Takanashi, with an incredible 63, is the only woman with more. Takanashi will be competing in her fourth Olympics, though Nozomi Maruyama is arguably a better bet for a medal. The 27-year-old from Nara, who only won her first world title in November, has since gone on to win five more, and currently sits second on the leaderboard. Naoki Nakamura, Yuki Ito and Yuka Seto, Japan’s other representatives in ski jumping, all have an outside chance of a medal. 

Kaori Sakamoto 

In women’s figure skating, Kaori Sakamoto is once again seen as Japan’s best medal prospect. Four years ago in Beijing, she reached the podium twice, first helping Japan’s team secure a silver medal in the team event before earning a bronze in the individual competition. Between 2022 and 2024, Sakamoto won three consecutive World Championships, becoming the first woman to complete the three-peat since America’s Peggy Fleming in the 1960s. However, at last year’s competition, she had to settle for silver behind Alysa Liu from the US. Liu and teammates Amber Glenn and ​​Isabeau Levito are likely to be competing with Sakamoto for the gold in Italy.

Sakamoto’s compatriots, Mone Chiba and Ami Nakai, could also be in the running for a medal. In the men’s competition, Yuma Kagiyama is looking to go one better than his second-place finish at the 2022 Olympics. Four years ago, it was America’s Nathan Chen who denied him. This time around, it is expected to be another skater from the US standing in his way. Ilia Malinin, nicknamed the “Quad God,” is the hot favorite for gold. Other medal contenders include France’s Adam Siao Him Fa, Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Shaidorov and Italians Daniel Grassl and Matteo Rizzo. Shun Sato and Kao Miura are Japan’s other representatives. 

Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara

After announcing the end of his partnership with Miu Suzaki in April 2019, Ryuichi Kihara considered retiring from professional figure skating. While contemplating the decision, he was approached by Canadian pair skating coach Bruno Marcotte, who asked if he would be interested in a tryout with his student, Riku Miura. Kihara agreed, and the rest, as they say, is history. Kihara and Miura, collectively known as RikuRyu, have gone on to become one of the most formidable partnerships in pair figure skating, winning the Four Continents title and the Grand Prix Final twice each. They’ve also won two golds and two silvers at the World Figure Skating Championships. 

They regained the title last year after losing out to Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps in 2024. The Canadian duo is expected to be among their biggest rivals in Italy — if Stellato-Dudek recovers from his injury — along with home favorites Sara Conti and Niccolò Macii. Minerva Fabienne Hase and Nikita Volodin from Germany and Georgia’s Anastasiia Metelkina and Luka Berulava are also highly fancied. Other names to look out for include RikuRyu’s compatriots, Yuna Nagaoka and Sumitada Moriguchi, and reigning champions, Sui Wenjing and Han Cong from China. As well as pairs, Miura and Kihara are expected to compete in the team event. They helped Japan secure a silver in Beijing.

Best of the Rest 

In other team sports, Japan is seen as a dark horse in women’s curling. Four years ago, the nation, represented by Loco Solare, took home a silver medal. Looking to go one better this time is Fortius, led by Sayaka Yoshimura. The squad qualified for the Games after defeating Norway 6-5 in a tense encounter. The Japanese men’s Nordic combined team, featuring one-half of the storied Watabe brothers, is also a strong contender for a medal. The brothers were part of the team that picked up a bronze in Beijing in 2022. Older sibling Akito, a four-time Olympic medalist, is looking to go out with a bang in his last Olympics.

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Updated On February 10, 2026