Alysa Liu carries US medal hopes into concluding women's free skate at the Milan Cortina Olympics

MILAN (AP) — Alysa Liu is left to bear the ambitions of the American figure skating team on Thursday night, when the last of the “Blade Angels” with a legitimate shot at the Olympic gold medal tries to catch Japanese teammates Ami Nakai and Kaori Sakamoto during the women's free skate at the Milan Cortina Games.

Nakai, Sakamoto and Mone Chiba give Japan the chance for the first-ever women's podium sweep.

Then there is Adeliia Petrosian, the young Russian sprite competing as a neutral athlete, and the only one of the contenders who has the ability to land a quad jump. She could shake up the entire competition with one big performance.

Those are the key players as the final night of figure skating drama unfolds at the Winter Games.

“Of course I want a medal. It would be very nice,” said Sakamoto, the bronze medalist from the 2022 Beijing Games, who trails Nakai by just a point in what is likely her final Olympics. “But I want to let everybody know what I've done over my career. I want people to know that there was a skater of this kind in Japan who had performed for a long period.”

Indeed, the Olympic gold medal is just about the only thing the 25-year-old Sakamoto has yet to win in her career.

At the opposite end of the longevity spectrum is Nakai, the 17-year-old inspired by the great Mao Asada. She will be the final skater on the ice after a brilliant performance Tuesday night, when she landed one of two triple axels in the entire women's short program.

Chiba trails both of her Japanese teammates along with Liu, but the world bronze medalist is firmly in the mix.

“Being in Italy, with the music ‘Romeo and Juliet,’ I hope to skate as well as possible," Chiba said, "and see how things are.”

Liu, who is two points out of first place, was the only skater to wedge herself among the Japanese trio.

The 20-year-old from the San Francisco Bay area has been on a dream ride ever since her two-year retirement, which had allowed her to reprioritize the things in her life and rediscover her love for skating. Liu became the first American world champion since Kimmie Meissner in 2006 last year in Boston, and now she could end an even longer U.S. drought for women at the Olympics.

“The Star-Spangled Banner” has not played for a podium ceremony since Sarah Hughes triumphed at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games.

“I don't think about stuff like that,” said the carefree Liu, who finished sixth at the Beijing Games, shortly before walking away from the sport. “My goal is just to do my program and share my story.”

Petrosian is the wildcard in the competition simply because she is so largely unknown.

The 18-year-old from Moscow has been unable to compete on a global stage because Russia remains banned from international events following its invasion of Ukraine. The few glimpses that people have seen have come from domestic events, where scores are typically inflated, and where the competition is far different from what Petrosian is experiencing at the Olympics.

Yet the latest pupil of controversial coach Eteri Tutberidze, Petrosian has proven in Milan that she could well become her nation's next gold medalist, following in the footsteps of compatriots Adelina Sotnikova, Alina Zagitova and Anna Shcherbakova.

The last non-Russian to win the Olympic gold medal was South Korea's Yuna Kim at the 2010 Vancouver Games.

“At first I was worried, not about my skate, but about my (emotional) state. This was the most important start of my life,” Petrosian said following her short program Tuesday night. “I hope this will help me with my free skate.”

AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

Adeliia Petrosian of Individual Neutral Athletes competes during the women's short program figure skating at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Mone Chiba of Japan competes during the women's short program figure skating at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Kaori Sakamoto of Japan competes during the figure skating women's team event at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

Ami Nakai of Japan competes during the women's short program figure skating at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Alysa Liu of the United States competes during the women's short program figure skating at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

LONDON (AP) — UK police arrested Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor on Thursday on suspicion of misconduct in public office.

The Thames Valley Police, an agency that covers areas west of London, including Mountbatten-Windsor’s former home, said it was “assessing” reports that the former Prince Andrew sent trade reports to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in 2010. The assessment followed the release of millions of pages of documents gleaned under a U.S. investigation of Epstein.

The police force did not name Mountbatten-Windsor, as is normal under U.K. law. But when asked if he had been arrested, the force pointed to a statement saying that they had arrested a man in his 60s. Mountbatten-Windsor is 66.

“Following a thorough assessment, we have now opened an investigation into this allegation of misconduct in public office,’’ the statement said. “It is important that we protect the integrity and objectivity of our investigation as we work with our partners to investigate this alleged offence."

“We understand the significant public interest in this case, and we will provide updates at the appropriate time,” the statement added.

The arrest came after pictures circulated online appearing to show unmarked police cars attending Wood Farm on the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, with plainclothes officers appearing to gather outside his home.

FILE - A document showing an email exchange between Jeffrey Epstein and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew, and who Epstein referred to as "The Duke," that was in a U.S. Department of Justice release, is photographed Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Jon Elswick, File)

FILE - Britain's Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew, looks round as he leaves after attending the Easter Matins Service at St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, England, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, File)

FILE - Then-Britain's Prince Andrew, left, and Britain's King Charles III leave after the Requiem Mass service for the Duchess of Kent at Westminster Cathedral in London, Sept. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Joanna Chan, File)