Kaori Sakamoto will face a trio of rising Americans and a little-known but potentially dangerous Russian teenager when the women’s Olympic figure skating event starts on Tuesday.

After an all-time upset in men’s singles and a controversial result in ice dance, fans will be ​braced for the unexpected again when a women’s competition with no clear favorite closes out ‌the figure ‌skating events at Milano Ice Skating Arena.

One sure thing is that ​a new champion will be crowned as Russia’s Anna Shcherbakova, who won gold in Beijing, will not be in the field, having not competed since the 2022 season.