At the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, Japan has set a new record for its Winter Olympics medal tally by reaching 19 after winning bronze in the women's speed skating team pursuit. The team defeated the United States, with Miho Takagi securing her third medal of the Games and tenth in her Olympic career.
On February 17, during the second day of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, Japan's women's speed skating team pursuit squad—consisting of Miho Takagi, Ayano Sato, Momoka Horikawa, and Hana Noake—secured a bronze medal by defeating the United States. This achievement pushed Japan's total medal count to 19—four gold, five silver, and 10 bronze—surpassing the previous Winter Olympics record of 18 set at the 2022 Beijing Games.
For Miho Takagi, this marked her third medal at the Milano Cortina Games and her 10th overall in Olympic competition, breaking the record for the most medals won by a Japanese female athlete across both Summer and Winter Olympics. Her prior medals in these Games include bronze in the women's 1,000 meters and bronze in the 500 meters. Japan has now reached the podium in this event for three consecutive Winter Olympics.
In other events, Japan's women's curling team Fortius lost to Italy, resulting in a 1-6 record after the first round and elimination from preliminary contention with two matches remaining. In the men's individual large hill Nordic combined, Ryota Yamamoto finished 15th and Akito Watabe 19th.
This milestone underscores Japan's growing prowess in winter sports at the quadrennial event.
