Excitement building for Milan Olympics: U.S. Figure Skating sending rock-solid team

At the World Figure Skating Championships that took place in Boston last weekend, Team USA put on the most dominant display of skating excellence. From Alysa Liu’s fearlessness, Ilia Malinin’s artistic prowess and Madison Chock and Evan Bates’ flawless delivery, all three put in the skates of their lives to clinch Gold in front of the sold out crowds in Boston. With the upcoming Winter Olympics just 10 months away, the U.S. Figure Skating team has never sat in such a dominant position.

The exciting and fresh performances seen in Boston were a stark contrast to the controversy leading up to the 2022 Beijing Winter Games, with doping rumors surrounding the Russian skaters, in particular Kamila Valieva, who ended up testing positive for a banned substance. The positive drug test would later strip the Russian team of their team Gold, casting a pall over the sport at those Games.

The Russian Federation was banned from the World Figure Skating Championships due to their invasion of Ukraine, but Russian athletes may compete in the Winter Games, under a neutral banner.

The team from the U.S. in the meantime has developed its strongest roster in decades. At Worlds, U.S. skaters took the Ladie’s, Men’s and Ice Dance gold medals. In the pairs competition, the U.S. didn’t medal, but T10 places for two of its pairs teams transpired in the opportunity for three teams to be sent to the Winter Olympics. Heading to Milan, the U.S. Figure Skating team has never looked stronger.

Alysa Liu’s surprise triumph

In 2013 Alysa Liu became the youngest to win the U.S. Figure Skating championships at the spry age of 13. She would go on to repeat the next year. She placed sixth at the Beijing Olympics and after earning the Bronze at the 2022 World Championships, Liu gave up her skates, feeling burnt out and seeking fulfillment outside of figure skating.

Now a student at UCLA, Liu decided to come back to the ice last year, with mixed results after returning to competition last October. Leading up to Worlds, Liu placed just behind teammate Amber Glenn — the American frontrunner heading to Boston — at the U.S. Championships in January, with a Silver.

Both Glenn and the lyrical Isabeau Levito were the U.S. favorites, with the unpredictable Liu a wild card. Glenn skated a terrific program, but Japan’s Kaori Sakamoto and Mone Chiba outperformed her. Levito had stunned with her short program, but an early mistake in the free skate placed her just outside medal contention.

Once Liu hit the ice Friday night, she added to her dazzling short, and gave the performance of her life. With self-assurance, resplendent in gold, Liu not only hit all the elements to raise the roof, she skated with a kind of freedom and fearlessness that was spellbinding to watch. I was down on the floor, and I can also attest that she skated with a speed that was thrilling to watch. Her performance was just electric, with dazzling jumps and performance quality that brought the crowd to their feet even before she completed the program. It’s no wonder she received 222.97 to win Gold, almost 5 points above Chiba.

“I never have expectations coming into competitions anymore,” Liu said, according to The New York Times. “It’s more of what I can put out performance-wise, and I really met my expectations on that part today.”

Liu secured Gold in Ladies Figure Skating for the first time in 19 years (when she was only one!). As phenomenal as Liu was, anyone on the women’s team has a good shot at the Milan podium. With a strong team of Liu, Glenn and Levito, you could place a bet on an American woman medaling (or all three) in Milan.

Malinin brought the fire

In the case of Ilia Malinin, the “Quad God” was looking to defend his World title and entered Boston with heavy expectations on his shoulders. But if there was any question of how that would affect the 20-year quadruple jump wonder kid, those doubts were easily dispelled with his flawless short program. With his blonde locks and vampire-inspired costume, Malinin confirmed his dominance, finishing an astounding 31 points ahead of the competition.

It wasn’t just the incredible amount of quadruple jumps and creative spins he perfectly executed. Malinin added to his luminous technique with an exceptional artistry that was awe-inspiring to behold. He also added extra flare with his “Raspberry twist” that places him parallel to the ice and executing a backflip to boot. The skater is a marvel! Malinin is also the only skater to land all six quad jumps in one program, including the quad axle (which is four and a half revolutions!). Malinin’s technique is monstrous; even more impressive is the artistry with which he executes with. Like Liu, the speed with which he skates is out of this world.

“At his age and especially at his level of purity of technique and everything else he brings, not only do I think no one can beat him, but I don’t think that there’s a way to understand what his ceiling is,” said Scott Hamilton, the 1984 Olympic gold medalist and television skating analyst, via the NYT.

“What more could Ilia do?” he added. “Anything he wants. Nothing is impossible for a skater with that kind of natural talent.”

Malinin will be the very clear headliner going to the Winter Games. Olympic individual Gold has never gone to both an American man and woman at the same Games. The 2026 Winter Olympics could be where the U.S. makes history.

Chock and Bates has Gold in their sights for their fourth Olympics

Married ice dancers Madison Chock and Evan Bates have never looked stronger than they have entering Milan next year. Their synergy and innovative routines have culminated in three World titles, including a beautifully smooth routine in Boston on Saturday, achieving a season’s best score of 222.06.

They placed eighth and ninth in their first two Olympics (Sochi and PyeongChang) and just off the podium in fourth in Beijing (2022). With a hat trick of Gold medal finishes at Worlds, they look stronger than ever and will be entering the 2026 Games in dominant fashion. In many ways, the Olympic Gold is theirs to loose in Milan.

“We’ve been wanting a moment like that for a long time,” said Bates, according to NBC Sports. “The last couple of world titles we had didn’t feel as good as that one. This will go right to the top of the list forever.”

Pairs will be sending three sets of competitors

With two U.S. pairs placing in the top 10 of the standings at Worlds, Team USA has qualified to send three teams to Milan. In fact, the pairing of Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov finished just outside of the T5 in sixth, with their compatriots just behind them. Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea placed seventh.

“To be able to give another team the opportunity is huge for us. We were one of the teams that got a chance to go to Worlds our first season because other teams have worked hard and got those three spots,” Kam said via masslive.com. “So I’m really happy that we have the chance for US pairs to keep growing, and it’s something to be really proud of.”

"To have three world champions in an Olympic season is so exciting," said Gracie Gold, who won team gold in 2014 and a two-time U.S. champion, according to ESPN. "I'm feeling super optimistic [about Olympic medal chances]. ... It's such an important year. I think everyone is feeling optimistic. Who wouldn't be?"

“All of us would have to show up for the Olympics and really be on our 'A' game, be 100 percent confident, 100 percent ready,” Malinin said, about the upcoming Games, via USA Today. “I think that all of us as athletes will be able to take our time, find our own plans, do what we need to do to get ready to train before those Olympics, and once we get there, just really try to skate our all there.”

The inroads made by the American skaters represents a seismic cultural shift within the sport. The grit, polish and panache displayed by all of them was mesmerizing to behold and it will be fascinating to see if they can sustain the momentum heading into Milan. From what we saw at this year’s Worlds, the road to Milan looks to be paved with gold.