With Impressive Medal Tally, Olympic Squad's Talent on Display

Japan's medal tally at the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics shattered the nation's previous record for the Winter Games.

Four years earlier, Team Japan took home 18 medals from the Beijing Olympics.

This time, the total was 24, highlighted by five gold medals. Seven silver medals and 12 bronze punctuated the team's notable overall performance.

During the 16 days in which medals were awarded (February 7-22), Japan collected at least one medal on 13 of those days. And it had two or more medals on seven occasions, with a top daily medal tally of four on February 14.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi celebrated this point on social media.

"Throughout this time, the athletes of Team Japan have brought joyful news of medal wins to all of Japan on a daily basis," Takaichi wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

Norway topped the chart with 41 medals (18-12-11), followed by the United States with 33 (12-12-9). The Netherlands (10-7-3) and Italy (10-6-14) both had the third-most gold medals, though the Italians' overall medal tally was 30 to the Dutch's 20.

Germany secured 26 medals (8-10-8), while Japan's 24 was the fifth-highest total.

medal tally — *Kira Kimura competes in the men's snowboard big air final at the Milan Winter Olympics on February 7 in Livigno, Italy. (©KYODO)*

A New Standard of Excellence in Snowboarding

Snowboarding was the biggest producer of medals for Japan in Italy ― a whopping nine medals (37.5% of them), including four gold.

Notably, the nation's snowboarders tripled their medal haul from the 2022 Olympics, where Ayumu Hirano claimed the men's halfpipe gold. Japan's other two medals in this sport in China were bronze.

Four years later, Livigno Snow Park, located in the Italian Alps, provided a picturesque backdrop for a phenomenal overall showing by Japan's snowboarders.

Victories in the men's and women's big air events (Kira Kimura, Kokomo Murase), the men's halfpipe (Yuto Totsuka) and the women's slopestyle (Mari Fukada) demonstrated that Japan has become a snowboarding powerhouse.

Fukada, at age 19, became the nation's youngest female Winter Olympic gold medalist.

In addition, Japanese Olympians scooped up a pair of silver and three bronze medals in Italy's snowboard events. On February 7, the first day of the Milan Cortina Games, there was a hint of things to come when Ryoma Kimata's runner-up performance in the men's big air completed a 1-2 finish for Japan.

Murase, who also claimed a bronze in the slopestyle competition, said Team Japan's snowboarders have dedicated themselves to the pursuit of excellence.

"I think that Japanese athletes have grown tremendously over these past four years," Murase said, according to Reuters. "One of the main reasons is that everyone is so dedicated — training an incredible amount, more than most people could imagine."

Developing Winning Tactics

A change in coaching philosophy after the Beijing Games has proven beneficial, according to Takashi Nishida, one of Japan's snowboard national team coaching staff members.

"In these four years, both coaches and athletes have been able to break away from relying on feel," Nishida said, according to The Asahi Shimbun. "By turning things into data, points for improvement have also become clear."

Nishida, who oversees big air and slopestyle snowboarders, said the team's coaching approach was "previously based solely on old-school intuition," Sports Nippon reported.

The opening of a state-of-the-art outdoor training facility in Saitama Prefecture in the summer of 2025 has provided opportunities for snowboarders to hone their skills during the offseason.

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Soaring to Greater Heights

Ski jumper Ryoya Kobayashi, men's normal hill gold medalist and large hill runner-up in 2022, was unable to replicate his success from the Beijing Games.

But his personal medal tally of two from 2022 (all of his country's podium finishes in ski jumping) was followed by four medals for Japan's ski jumping corps in Italy.

Ren Nikaido grabbed the normal hill bronze and the large hill bronze, outperforming Kobayashi in the individual events.

In the mixed team competition, Nikaido and Kobayashi joined Sara Takanashi and Nozomi Maruyama in a bronze medal-winning effort.

For Takanashi, receiving a medal eight years after her third-place finish in the women's normal hill in South Korea was an unexpected thrill.

"I never thought I could stand on this stage again," the 29-year-old was quoted as saying by The Asahi Shimbun. "Today's medal is the happiest I've ever been in my life."

Maruyama also placed third in the women's normal hill.

A Banner Overall Showing for Figure Skaters

For decades, Japan's men's and women's singles skaters have achieved great success on the global stage. By comparison, pairs and ice dance were not a strength.

But Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara emerged a few years ago as a dynamic duo in pairs with the talent, drive and charisma to capture major titles. Prior to the Milan Cortina Olympics, they won a pair of world titles (2023 and '25).

And they made a stirring comeback in the pairs free skate on February 16, vaulting from fifth place after the short program to the top of the leaderboard. Miura/Kihara received a world-record score of 158.13 for their pairs free skate to snatch the gold.

It was the top highlight of Japan's quality overall showing in Olympic figure skating in Milan.

Back in Tokyo on February 24, Kihara spoke about the mental resilience that was a key to victory for him and Miura in pairs after their disappointing score in the short program.

"There was a moment when I felt crushed, but I pushed through with Riku," Kihara said, according to Kyodo News.

More Medals in Figure Skating

The national squad increased its medal tally from four (two silver, two bronze) in 2022 to six (one gold, three silver, two bronze) in Italy.

Silver medalists Yuma Kagiyama and three-time world champion Kaori Sakamoto, in men's and women's singles, respectively, fulfilled expectations. And Japan also finished second in the team event.

What's more, Shun Sato earned the men's bronze, and 17-year-old Ami Nakai collected the women's bronze, followed by fellow Olympic debutante Mone Chiba, 20, placing fourth.

Japan's 2-3-4 finish in women's skating was a vivid snapshot of the national Olympic delegation's athleticism and abundance of rising stars.

In Speed Skating, a Decrease in Medals

In 2022, Miho Takagi spearheaded the nation's strong showing on the speed skating track, earning a gold medal (in the women's 1,000 meters) and three silvers (including team pursuit).

This time, the four-time Olympian was once again the driving force of Japan's medal output in her chosen sport. Takagi nabbed bronze in the 1,000 and the 500 before teaming up with Ayano Sato, Momoka Horikawa and Hana Noake for a third-place finish in team pursuit on February 17.

In Milan, Takagi raised her career total to 10 medals, a record for Japanese female Olympians. At the same time, she was targeting a gold in the 1,500, an event she's never won at the Winter Games. That goal was not realized, though.

Takagi slowed down considerably on the final lap on February 20 and placed sixth.

"That was the only part I couldn't quite nail," Takagi said, according to The Yomiuri Shimbun, referring to the final stretch of the race.

Additional Medals in Freestyle Skiing

Ikuma Horishima left Italy with a pair of medals. He placed second in men's dual moguls and was third in moguls, repeating as Olympic bronze medalist in that event.

During his return flight to Japan, Horishima outlined some of his future goals in a notebook, The Sankei Shimbun reported on February 19.

"I'm imagining scenarios where I can win gold even when I'm not in top form," Horishima told a news conference, according to the national newspaper.

He then said, "I want to build up my fundamental strength and true ability."

For elite-level athletes and up-and-coming Olympians, the quest for athletic excellence is 24/7.

Success in 2022 Not Replicated in Curling, Nordic Combined

Japan was the women's silver medalist in curling at the Beijing Games. This time, skip Sayaka Yoshimura's squad replaced Satsuki Fujisawa's team, which shined in 2022. The side stumbled to a 2-7 record in Italy.

In Nordic combined, veteran Olympian Akito Watabe fell short of his goal of collecting more medals after bringing home a pair of bronze mementos from China. He was 11th in the normal hill/10-km event and 19th in the large hill/10-km. And in the Nordic combined team sprint event, Watabe and Ryota Yamamoto placed sixth.

*Six-time Olympian Akito Watabe made his Nordic combined debut at the Winter Games in 2006. (©Kacper Pempel/REUTERS)*

Watabe's winning attitude nevertheless resonated with fellow athletes, sports fans and the media.

"My hope was to get some medal here, but it's OK," he said, according to Reuters, after the normal hill event on February 11. "I was enjoying this really nice atmosphere and my sixth Olympics."

A Fitting Tribute to Japan's 2026 Olympians

Without specifically citing Japan's numerous accomplishments in Italy, the Japan men's national soccer team's official X account (@jfa_samuraiblue) posted a delightful message on the social media platform on February 23. The tweet celebrated the athletes' participation in the Olympics.

"To all members of #TEAMJAPAN who competed in Milan and Cortina, your spirit of challenge gave us immense courage and inspiration. As fellow members of the Japanese national team, we offer our heartfelt respect and gratitude."

Author: Ed Odeven

Follow Ed's [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and he can be found on X (formerly Twitter) ＠ed_odeven.