Medalists Ami Nakai and Team Celebrate Homecoming with Iconic Cheek Pose

So cute!

As the athletes appeared, the fans greeted them with thunderous cheers and shouted messages like, “Welcome back!”, “Thank you for your hard work!”, and “Congratulations!”

On February 24, the Japanese Olympic team from the Milan–Cortina Games returned home. Around 400 fans had gathered in the arrival lobby at Narita Airport. The electronic display boards read, “Welcome back, thank you for the inspiration!” and a banner echoed the same message.

“The charter flight carrying the athletes arrived about two hours later than scheduled. During that time, the excitement among the crowd kept building. When the athletes appeared, pushing carts with heavy luggage in their tracksuits, the cheers were almost like screams,” said one fan.

The first to appear, after the airport staff, was the figure skating team, which won six medals at this Games. First came the pair who claimed Japan’s first-ever gold in pairs, Riku Miura (24) and Ryuichi Kihara (33), nicknamed “Rikuryu.” Wearing gold medals around their necks, they exchanged glances and waved to fans without showing much surprise at the overwhelming welcome.

Following them, after team leaders Hidetoshi Ito and Masahiko Harada, Kaori Sakamoto (25), who won silver, appeared, sending fan excitement even higher. Sakamoto waved with a beaming, playful smile, prompting huge cheers like those at the start.

Finally, Ami Nakai (17), who won bronze, appeared, eliciting shouts of “So cute~!” Nakai struck the now-famous pose—raising a finger to her cheek—right after finishing her free program, delighting fans exactly as they had hoped.

Silver Medal from Just One Mistake

Later, at a hotel in Tokyo, a press conference was held for the returning medalists. First, Vice Captain Masahiko Harada spoke:

“May I say a few words on behalf of the athletes? I’m so envious—so cool!”

Riku Miura said, with a nervous expression:

“I made a big mistake in the short program of the individual event, but I was really able to trust the practice we had put in and give it my all. Thank you so much for always supporting us.”

Kaori Sakamoto added, with a more serious expression than usual:

“In the individual event, just one mistake cost me the gold and I ended up with silver, but thanks to so many people cheering for me, I was really able to perform at my best.”

Just before bronze medalist Ami Nakai spoke, there was a small mishap when the host mispronounced her name as “Hirai.” Nakai smiled sweetly and said:

“I’m truly happy to be wearing this medal right now. I think I’m able to stand here today thanks to everyone’s support. I’ll work hard so that I can compete here again in four years. Thank you very much.”

As the press conference drew to a close, Sakamoto was handed the microphone and said:

“I think the key factor was that everyone faced the same direction and pursued the same goal together. If even one person thinks, ‘This is good enough,’ the team’s unity drops. But everyone challenged themselves aiming for the best possible result, and that mindset continued even into the individual events. I think that’s what contributed to Team Japan’s cohesion.”

Sakamoto retired after this Games, but starting March 24, the ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2026 will be held in Prague, Czech Republic.

We look forward to the rise of new heroes and heroines following Rikuryu and Nakai.