The 2026 Winter Olympics will end this Sunday, February 22nd. One of the most watched sports of these games has been Figure Skating, with events in teams, singles, pairs, and ice dance. While the United States has had much success this year in Milan, this sport has proven more of a mixed bag for the team.
The beginning proved strong for Team USA, with a gold finish in the team event. Many countries were competitive, with Japan and Italy securing silver and bronze respectively. A whole host of American athletes contributed, with skaters Alysa Liu and pair skaters Madison Chock and Evan Bates putting up strong numbers. The star proved to be Ilia Malinin. Also known as the “Quad God” due to his ability to execute the difficult quadruple axel, Malinin delivered the final winning skate of the event.
”This definitely is one of the happiest days of my life, and really just sets me up in the right mood and mindset for the next few days to come,” Malinin said.
However, after this star performance for the team, America would begin to falter in individual events. In Men’s singles, heavy favorite Malinin held strong through the short program but fell multiple times during the free skate. Known for his near-perfect execution of backflips and quadruple jumps, the Quad God seemingly fell to the great pressure of the Olympic stage. Malinin landed eighth, with Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Shaidorov winning gold.
“All I know is that it wasn’t my best skate and it was definitely something I wasn’t expecting. And it’s done, so I can’t go back and change it, even though I would love to,” Malinin said.
Similar results came in pair skating, with Team USA continuing their decades-long streak of failing to medal in the event. And while still underway, women’s single performances have also proven underwhelming. Alysa Liu is currently third in the short program, with Isabeau Levito and Amber Glenn trailing. Before the event, all three were favorites for a podium finish. A bright spot came in ice dance, however, with a silver finish from Madison Chock and Evan Bates.
In the end, Team USA did not leave defeated. The results proved respectable with gold in the team event and silver in ice dance, but history might better remember Malinin’s historic falls or an underwhelming women’s performance. Still, there is no doubt these athletes were amazing to watch and were true Olympians.
