The 2026 Winter Olympics have officially started, and the Team USA figure skating team is ready for action. The opening ceremony for the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics took place on Friday, February 6, and now, the fun has started.
So, who are the Team USA figure skating personalities that you’ll see on the nice over the next two weeks. Here’s what you need to know about the skaters.
U.S. Men: Ilia Malinin, Andrew Torgashev, Maxim Naumov
The two-time defending world champion Ilia Malinin took the ice for the first time on Saturday, February 7, and his performance was quite anticipated. Malinin, 21, has waited four years for the Milan Cortina Games, because he was controversially left off the U.S. team for the Beijing Olympics.
Malinin is still the first and only skater to complete a quadruple axel on competition ice, which he did back in 2022. He also hasn’t lost a competition in about two years, so he’s entering the race on fire.
“You think of legends in other sports – Simone Biles, Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods – Ilia Malinin is that for figure skating,” commentator Johnny Weir told NBC Olympics of Malinin. “He’s done elements that we never thought we’d see in our lifetime. Every time we watch him skate it’s like watching the moon landing.”
Along with Malinin will be Andrew Torgashev from Coral Springs, Florida, and Maxim Naumov from Simsbury, Connecticut. Naumov is fulfilling the wishes of his late parents by making and competing with the Olympic team.
Naumov’s parents, Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova, were coming back from a talent camp in Kansas when their American Airlines flight tragically hit with a military helicopter and crashed into the Potomac River in January 2025.
U.S. Women: Alysa Liu, Amber Glenn and Isabeau Levito
Alysa Liu, Amber Glenn and Isabeau Levito are representing the U.S. women. According to Olympic gold medalist and commentator Tara Lipinski told NBC Olympics, it’s a strong team.
“I haven’t seen a U.S. women’s team this strong in 20 years,” Lipinski told NBC Olympics.
The ladies are working to get the first U.S. women’s medal since Sasha Cohen in Turin in 2006. They could also earn the first gold medal since Sarah Hughes in 2002 at the Salt Lake City Games. Yes, it’s been a drought for U.S. women’s figure skating, but thankfully, it could come to an end in 2026.
U.S. Ice Dancing: Madison Chock and Evan Bates, Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik, Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko
Madison Chock and Evan Bates are married, which makes their story extra special. The duo are the three-time defending world champions, so it’s a match made in ice heaven.
In the 2026 Olympics, they’ll be competing for their first individual gold. In their first performance on Friday, February 6, they scored a world-leading 91.06 points to open the three-day competition.
U.S. silver medalists Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik are also on the dance team, as well as Canadian-born Christina Carreira, who became eligible for the Olympics last fall when she officially became an American citizen, and Anthony Ponomarenko.
U.S. Pairs: Danny O’Shea and Ellie Kam, Emily Chan and Spencer Howe
There are only two pairs spots in for Team USA, and those go to Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea, the U.S. silver medalists, and Emily Chan and Spencer Howe.
O’Shea is appearing at the Olympics for the first time at 34 years old. O’Shea grew up in the Chicago area.
U.S. figure skating is inspirational because it never follows a straight line. The best American skaters don’t arrive untouched or perfectly timed, they arrive after being doubted, left off teams, burned out, injured, or told to wait their turn. And somehow, they keep going. There’s bravery in that. There’s honesty in it too. You see it in the risk-taking, in the willingness to fall publicly and get back up anyway. American skaters don’t just chase medals, they chase moments that feel real. When it works, it’s not just impressive. It’s human. That’s why it sticks.
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