U.S. Figure Skaters Compete in Olympics and World Championships, Securing Medals Across Disciplines

The U.S. figure skating team recently competed in the Winter Olympics, participating in the team event and individual competitions across men's, women's, pairs, and ice dance disciplines. The Olympic roster was finalized following the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, which served as the qualifying event for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Games. Following the Olympics, several U.S. athletes also competed in the ISU World Championships, marking the conclusion of the 2025-2026 season.

U.S. Olympic Team Selection for 2026 Milan-Cortina Games

The U.S. Olympic Figure Skating Team for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Games was announced following the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in St. Louis, Mo. The team comprises 16 athletes, including three men, three women, three ice dance duos, and two pairs teams.

• Ilia Malinin (21): The world No. 1 and reigning four-time U.S. champion, Malinin led the men's event at the national championships with 115.10 points after his short program. He is recognized as the only skater to have completed a quadruple Axel in competition, marking his first Olympic appearance.
• Andrew Torgashev (24): Secured his first Olympic spot by finishing second at the U.S. championships for the second consecutive year.
• Maxim Naumov (24): Earned his Olympic debut by securing third place at the national championships.

• Amber Glenn (26): A three-time U.S. champion and reigning Grand Prix Final winner, Glenn made her Olympic debut. She achieved a score of 83.05 in the short program at nationals, which included a triple Axel. Glenn is known for her advocacy for mental health and LGBTQ+ issues within the sport.
• Alysa Liu (20): The reigning world champion, Liu returned to competitive skating after a brief retirement following the 2022 Beijing Olympics. She finished second at the national championships with 81.11 points. Liu became the youngest skater to land a triple Axel at age 12 and the youngest U.S. women's champion.
• Isabeau Levito (18): The 2024 world silver medalist and 2023 U.S. champion, Levito is the youngest member of the team. She placed third at nationals with a personal best of 75.75 points.

• Ellie Kam (21) and Danny O'Shea (34): Partnered since 2022, they secured their Olympic berth by winning silver at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships. O'Shea is the oldest U.S. Olympic pairs skater since 1932. They won bronze at the 2023 nationals and gold in 2024.
• Emily Chan (28) and Spencer Akira Howe (29): Partners since 2019, they secured their Olympic spot after a fourth-place finish at nationals. Howe is part of the U.S. Army's World Class Athlete Program.
• Note: Two-time national champions Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov were not eligible for the Olympic team due to Efimova's U.S. citizenship status not being finalized.

• Madison Chock and Evan Bates: Three-time defending world champions and seven-time national champions, the married duo competed in their fourth Olympics as a team, having partnered professionally in 2011. They led the rhythm dance at nationals with a season's best score of 91.70.
• Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik: This duo made their Olympic debut after partnering in 2022 and achieving silver at nationals. Kolesnik, originally from Ukraine, received U.S. citizenship in August.
• Christina Carreira (25) and Anthony Ponomarenko (25): Partners since 2014, Carreira obtained U.S. citizenship in November, making them eligible for an Olympic spot. Ponomarenko is the son of 1992 Olympic ice dance champions.

Olympic Team Event Overview and U.S. Performance

The Olympic figure skating team competition commenced on Friday. Introduced at the 2014 Sochi Games, the event features 10 countries competing across men's, women's, pairs, and ice dance disciplines. Points are awarded based on short program and rhythm dance scores, with the top five teams advancing to the final free skate and free dance rounds. Countries are permitted up to two substitutions among their four entries.

The U.S. team, with 16 members, entered as a contender to defend its 2022 gold medal, facing primary rivalry from Japan. Russia's team was not permitted to compete.

• Friday's Events: Alysa Liu represented the U.S. in women's, Ellie Kam and Danny O'Shea in pairs, and Madison Chock and Evan Bates in ice dance. Kam and O'Shea achieved a personal best in their free skate.
• Saturday's Events: Ilia Malinin competed for the U.S. in the men's short program.

Outcome: The U.S. team secured the gold medal in the team event.

Individual Olympic Competitions

The U.S. women's team, including Amber Glenn, Alysa Liu, and Isabeau Levito, qualified for the medal event.

• Short Program: Alysa Liu placed third, Isabeau Levito eighth, and Amber Glenn thirteenth. Glenn's program included a clean triple Axel but a landing error on her final jump.
• Free Skate (Day 13):
  • Alysa Liu (U.S.): Performed a routine to Donna Summer's "MacArthur Park Suite," achieving a score of 150.20. She placed first, securing the gold medal. This marked the first individual gold medal for a U.S. woman in over two decades.
  • Kaori Sakamoto (Japan): Placed second with a score of 147.67, earning the silver medal. Sakamoto, a three-time world champion, announced plans to retire after these Games.
  • Ami Nakai (Japan): Secured the bronze medal.
  • Amber Glenn (U.S.): Improved her position from 13th to fifth place overall.
  • Isabeau Levito (U.S.): Finished 12th overall.

• Madison Chock and Evan Bates (U.S.): Secured their first individual Olympic medal, winning silver after two days of competition. They performed a flamenco-inspired "Paint It Black" program, achieving a season's best score.
• Gold Medal: Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron (France) surpassed Chock and Bates by a margin of 1.43 points.
• Bronze Medal: Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier (Canada).
• Chock and Bates, who are four-time Olympians, indicated they were not considering a return to competition "at the moment" after the medal ceremony.

Ellie Kam and Danny O'Shea, who made their Olympic debut, were scheduled to compete in the individual pairs competition. Specific medal results for their individual event were not detailed in the provided reports.

ISU World Championships: Season Conclusion

The ISU Figure Skating World Championships took place in Prague from March 25-28, serving as the final major competition of the 2025-2026 figure skating season. Several Olympians, including U.S. gold medalist Alysa Liu and ice dance world champions Madison Chock and Evan Bates, opted to withdraw from the competition.

• Ilia Malinin (U.S.): Won his third consecutive world title, delivering two programs that included multiple quad jumps. His performance featured five quadruple jumps, a backflip, and a "raspberry twist" sideways spin. Malinin became the first U.S. skater to achieve a three-peat at the World Championships since Nathan Chen. He performed a quadruple Axel at the exhibition gala.
• Yuma Kagiyama (Japan): Secured the silver medal.
• Shun Sato (Japan): Won the bronze medal.
• Other U.S. competitors included Andrew Torgashev and Jacob Sanchez.

• Kaori Sakamoto (Japan): Won gold, marking her fourth consecutive world title before her retirement from competitive skating.
• Mone Chiba (Japan): Took the silver medal.
• Nina Pinzarrone (Belgium): Earned the bronze medal.
• Amber Glenn (U.S.): Finished sixth overall after placing third in the short program.
• Isabeau Levito (U.S.): Finished fourth overall.
• Sarah Everhardt (U.S.) also competed.

• Gold Medal: Minerva Fabienne Hase and Nikita Volodin (Germany).
• Silver Medal: Anastasiia Metelkina and Luka Berulava (Georgia).
• Bronze Medal: Lia Pereira and Trennt Michaud (Canada).
• U.S. teams included Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov (sixth place), Katie McBeath and Daniil Parkman (12th place), and Emily Chan and Spencer Howe (16th place).

• Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik (U.S.): Earned a bronze medal in their world championship debut.
• Other U.S. teams competing were Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko, and Caroline Green and Michael Parsons.

The World Championships concluded the 2025-2026 figure skating season. The new season is scheduled to begin on July 1. U.S. Figure Skating has announced qualifying events from July through October, leading to the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Salt Lake City in January 2027. The International Skating Union (ISU) Grand Prix season will commence with "Skate America" in late October. Major ISU events for early 2027 include the European Championships, Four Continents Figure Skating Championships, and the World Championships in Tampere, Finland.