Overview
- Ichikawa City awarded Ami Nakai its Civic Honor Award at a ceremony Monday, presenting her with a commemorative shield and a bouquet.
- Nakai won the bronze medal in the women's figure skating at the Milan–Cortina Winter Olympics after leading the short program and landing a high-difficulty triple Axel in the free skate.
- The 18-year-old is an Ichikawa resident who graduated from Minami-Gyotoku Municipal Junior High School and is the youngest person to receive the city's Civic Honor Award.
- Mayor Koichi Tanaka called Nakai "the city's pride" and said Ichikawa will support her, and the city staged public viewings of both her short program and free skate during the Olympics.
- The ceremony included a meeting with her former classmates and teachers, and city officials said the award is meant to celebrate local support and bolster backing for her bids at world championships and future Olympics.