Team Japan has rewritten the record books. At the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, Japan walked away with a stunning 24 medals, smashing its previous best of 18 set at Beijing 2022. From snowboard parks to the ice rink, Japanese athletes delivered a once in a generation performance that placed their nation shoulder to shoulder with Europe’s winter sports giants.
Snowboarders Set the Tone From Day One
One key factor behind Japan’s breakthrough was that it won a total of 9 medals in snowboarding alone. That was 6 more than the 3 medals (1 gold and 2 bronze) from Beijing four years ago.
Japan dominated the park and pipe events, winning four of six golds and appearing on all six podiums.
The momentum started right away. On February 7, the day after the opening ceremony, Kimura Kira and Kimata Ryoma claimed gold and silver in big air, lifting the spirits of Team Japan across the events that followed.
Here is how Japan’s snowboard medals broke down across events:
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men’s Big Air | Kimura Kira | Kimata Ryoma | |
| Women’s Big Air | Murase Kokomo | ||
| Men’s Halfpipe | Totsuka Yuto | Yamada Ryusei | |
| Women’s Halfpipe | Ono Mitsuki | ||
| Men’s Slopestyle | Hasegawa Taiga | ||
| Women’s Slopestyle | Fukada Mari | Murase Kokomo |
Yuto Totsuka put down what may be the most progressive halfpipe run in Olympic history, opening with back-to-back triple cork 1440s and finishing with a pair of double corks to score a 95.00. That gave Japan its second straight Olympic title in the event following Hirano Ayumu’s gold in Beijing.
Figure Skating Delivers Six Medals and a Historic Gold
Figure skating also played a major role in Japan’s medal surge. Led by Sakamoto Kaori, who announced her retirement this season and said this would be her last Olympics, the team won six medals across four events.
Japanese stars Kagiyama Yuma (280.06) and Sato Shun (274.90) claimed the silver and bronze medals in men’s singles. Sakamoto finished second in both the short program and free skate to win the silver, bringing her total Olympic medal count to four.
But the biggest story on ice belonged to the “Riku-Ryu” pair.
The pair of Miura Riku and Kihara Ryuichi could only finish in fifth place in the short program after an error in their signature lift. However, with a spirited and flawless free skate that won a record-breaking 158.13 points, the pair came back to win gold. Their win marked the first Olympic gold in pairs for Japan, which has long been a powerhouse in singles skating.
For Japan, starting with the team event helped to foster a stronger sense of unity for the entire squad. That team spirit carried through every event that followed.
Takagi Miho: 10 Olympic Medals and a Farewell
No story about Japan’s winter sports success is complete without Takagi Miho.
Takagi’s 10 Olympic medals are the second most for a speed skater and the most for a Japanese Winter Olympian in any sport. At the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, she won bronze in the 1,000 meters, 500 meters, and team pursuit but finished sixth in the 1,500 meters.
Japan won 24 medals this time, bringing its cumulative Winter Games total to 100. Fully a tenth of these have come from Takagi alone.
That is a staggering personal contribution to an entire country’s Olympic history.
Takagi made her Olympic debut at 15 at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. On March 4, 2026, she announced her retirement effective after the 2026 World Allround Speed Skating Championships in the Netherlands.
Her retirement marks the end of an era. Speed skating has historically been Japan’s most medal generating sport, yet all of this year’s Olympic podium finishes involved Takagi, and the next generation expected to carry the team forward delivered only modest results.
How Japan Became Asia’s Winter Sports Leader
At Milano Cortina 2026, Japan took tenth place overall in the weighted medal count, with 5 gold, 7 silver, and 12 bronze podium finishes. Its 24 medals placed the country fifth in the straightforward medal count.
That puts Japan ahead of traditional heavyweights like Canada (21 medals) and Switzerland (23 medals) in total count.
Team Japan won the most medals among Asian countries, surpassing China in twelfth place with 15 medals and South Korea in thirteenth with 10.
Here is how Japan compares to other Asian nations:
| Country | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japan | 5 | 7 | 12 | 24 |
| China | 5 | 4 | 6 | 15 |
| South Korea | 3 | 4 | 3 | 10 |
From 1980 at Lake Placid through 2026, Japan has won medals in 13 consecutive winter games. It hit double figures for the first time in 1998 with 10 medals at the Nagano Olympics, and has set successive records for its total at the past three competitions.
Japan’s public and private efforts to bolster the nation’s athletic performance accelerated after Tokyo was awarded the 2020 Olympic Games in September 2013. The success of this year’s Winter Olympic athletes can broadly be seen as part of that trend.
What Comes Next for Team Japan
The pride is real, but so are the challenges ahead.
Considering the declining birthrate and economic conditions, even maintaining the current level will not be easy. With veterans like Takagi Miho and Sakamoto Kaori both stepping away, Japan faces a critical question: Who will carry the torch forward?
The good news is that young stars like 19 year old Fukada Mari and 19 year old Yamada Ryusei showed they are ready. The snowboard pipeline is deep and talented. Figure skating has a strong foundation built by generations of world class athletes.
The factors behind success and the causes of underperformance should be analyzed one by one and put to use for shaping the future.
The next Winter Olympics will take place in the French Alps in 2030. Japan will arrive there with expectations higher than ever before.
From Totsuka’s jaw dropping halfpipe run in Livigno to Miura and Kihara’s comeback gold in Milan, the 2026 Milano Cortina Games gave Japan something to celebrate for a long time. Japan’s five gold medals matched its achievement at the 1998 Olympics in Nagano but 24 total medals told a much bigger story. This was not just a good Olympics for Japan. This was a historic one. For every young athlete across the country watching these Games on their screens, the message was clear: the world stage belongs to those who dare to dream big.
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