As figure skating continues to heat up around the world, especially in East Asian countries such as Japan, South Korea and China, the strong competitiveness and strong reserve of women's singles skating events indicate that the competition landscape in this field will be more intense in the coming years. For the Milan-Cortina d'Ampezzo 2026 Winter Olympics, this article analyses the pool of young women's singles skaters from the three countries and speculates on the potential stars who are most likely to represent their respective countries at the Winter Olympics.
Japan
Japan has maintained its position as a group leader in the women's singles figure skating field, with a strong youth development system and a continuous stream of new players ensuring the country's leading position on the international stage. According to recent information, the Japanese team still has rookies such as Chiba Baiyin who have chosen to hide in the snow or face a change in form during certain periods, although the main players such as Mai Mihara, Kaori Sakamoto and Yoshida have shown great competitiveness and upward momentum by winning the 2024 Four Continents Figure Skating Championships. In addition, Rika Kihei, as the first women's singles player in history to complete the triple Axel, could return to the top and qualify for the 2026 Winter Olympics if she successfully overcomes her injuries.
South Korea
South Korea has emerged as an emerging powerhouse in women's singles figure skating in recent years, and Kim Chae-ran has shown that she is the favourite to win the title with multiple breakthroughs in the 200-point mark, and is expected to be a strong contender in the upcoming Olympic cycle. Although she has encountered technical bottlenecks in the early stages, whether she can repeat her excellent performance in the second half of last season in the following season will be key to whether she can secure a place at the 2026 Winter Olympics. Wei Xiying is also worth paying attention to, and although she has reservations about her current state, her uniqueness in artistic expression and programming may also help her stand out in the future.
China
China's women's figure skating singles has also been seeking breakthroughs in the past few Winter Olympics. Chen Hongyi and Zhu Yi have won China a certain amount of attention on the international stage, but when looking forward to the 2026 Winter Olympics, the growth and progress of the younger generation of athletes such as Cheng Jiaying is particularly important. Cheng Jiaying has gained experience by participating in B-level competitions, and is expected to improve the technical difficulty and stability of the competition in the next few years. In addition, China's figure skating youth system needs to continue to identify and develop new talents with world-class talents, so as to provide more impactful women's singles players for the national team.
In summary, by the time of the 2026 Winter Olympics, Japan, South Korea and China are expected to rely on their existing main players and fast-growing stars to compete for medals in the women's singles event. How coaches optimize their training strategies, tap the potential of their athletes, and improve their technical, artistic and psychological qualities will have a direct impact on their performance and results in the next Winter Olympics.