The 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics are just around the corner and will showcase 16 exciting sports and almost 3,000 talented athletes. Consistently, figure skating has been the most-watched sport, especially in the United States, and with an absolutely incredible team of Americans heading to Italy, this trend is projected to continue.
Figure skating contains five main fields: men’s singles, women’s singles, pairs, ice dance, and synchronized skating, and all but synchronized skating are included in the Winter Olympics. Skaters are judged on their artistry and execution of difficult technical elements, such as jumps, spins, lifts, and choreographic sequences. Each competitor performs two programs, and the combined score determines their ranking in the individual or team (country-based) event.
In the men’s singles division, Ilia Malinin of the U.S. is the main contender for Olympic gold. Undefeated since December 2023, the two-time World Champion is known as the “Quad God,” famous for his flawless quadruple jumps (4 rotations in the air) and for being the only person ever to land a quad Axel in competition (4.5 rotations). Malinin’s recent dominance, combined with his signature backflip, makes him a vital part of the U.S. team and a definite must-watch.
The highly anticipated women’s singles event at the Olympics is always filled with unlikely finishes, as proven in the 2022 Beijing Olympics, which involved a doping scandal from Russia. Following Russia’s ban, the U.S. and Japan have become the primary leaders in this event, and both countries will send a maximum of three participants to Milan. One of America’s competitors is World Champion Alysa Liu, who became U.S. Champion at the age of 13 in 2019. She previously attended the Olympics in 2022 and will be performing her two programs to “Promise” by Laufey and a Lady Gaga mix. Liu is joined by Amber Glenn (2025 U.S. Champion) and Isabeau Levito, who is admired for her extraordinarily elegant artistry. This impressive group, paired with Japan’s trio of former World and Olympic medalists, will surely result in a competitive and exciting battle.
Team USA finds strengths in ice dance as well, which can be described as ballroom dancing on ice. Incorporating partner lifts and spins as well as complicated turn sequences, this discipline is dominated by Madison Chock and Evan Bates. The pair are three-time consecutive World Champions and seven-time U.S. Champions, and 2026 will be their fourth Olympic Games. Hoping for their first individual Olympic medal, the two challenge their expression and teamwork with a 90s-inspired short program and a matador-themed long program.
The final discipline is pairs, unmistakably Team USA’s weakest area. The back-to-back U.S. Champions, Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov, are currently ineligible for the Olympics, as Efimova’s American citizenship is still pending approval. Arguably, pairs is the most unpredictable discipline globally. Elements involve throws (the male skater launching the female skater into the air before catching her), overhead lifts, and side-by-side jumps. This involves a substantial amount of trust and practice between the two skaters, which is a big contributing factor to common mistakes. This is the only discipline where Team USA does not enter Milan as the reigning World Champions — in fact, Efimova/Mitrofanov were only able to reach 6th in the 2025 Championships. The main U.S. team is Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea, who are an unexpected but mostly successful pairing. They were the U.S. Champions in 2024, but recent errors have cost them this year’s title. Nonetheless, their perseverance places them in a good position to perform well in the thrilling pairs event.
With an already well-accomplished group, Team USA is on the path to an extremely successful Games. However, every athlete, regardless of their country, presents a unique and interesting style that will make this year’s Olympics an event worth watching.