CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy (AP) — Ami Nakai and Japanese teammate Kaori Sakamoto upstaged Alysa Liu and the rest of the “Blade Angels” from the U.S. to take the lead after the short program in the women’s figure skating competition at the Milan Cortina Olympics on Tuesday.

The NHL Hall of Famer Chris Pronger deserves the first word today: “We’ll have to see how things come together, and which of these teams can really peak at the right time. Because it can flip fast,” the two-time Olympic gold medalist said in an exclusive guest column.

Oscar Pistorius is a former South African Olympic and Paralympic sprinter. He was once known across the world as the inspirational “Blade Runner”. Pistorius became famous for competing at the highest level despite being a double amputee.

The depth of this year's U.S. women's figure skating team is one of the reasons the Americans could dominate the podium at the Milan-Cortina Olympics.