Team USA locked in its 2026 Olympic figure-skating squad Sunday night after the U.S. championships wrapped in St. Louis, sending three veterans and 13 newcomers to next month’s Milan Cortina Games.
At a Glance
- Sixteen skaters were named to the U.S. Olympic team immediately after nationals ended
- Ice-dance veterans Madison Chock and Evan Bates headline the roster
- All five disciplines-ice dance, pairs, women’s, men’s and team event-are represented
- Why it matters: The youthful squad will try to boost America’s medal count after the 2022 Games brought home only one gold
The selections, announced by U.S. Figure Skating and confirmed by News Of Losangeles, end months of speculation that began when the Olympic qualification criteria were tweaked to weigh national results more heavily than international points.
Ice Dance
Chock and Bates, married partners from Michigan, will skate in their fourth consecutive Olympics as a team. They captured gold in the 2022 team event and finished first again at this year’s nationals.
Joining them are two new U.S. dance couples:
- Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko, both 25, secured their spot with a third-place nationals finish
- Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik, runners-up behind Chock and Bates, will make their Olympic debuts after less than two seasons together
Pairs
The American pairs contingent mixes youth and experience:
- Ellie Kam, 21, and Danny O’Shea, 34, claimed their first national title and an Olympic berth after teaming up in 2022
- Emily Chan and Spence Akira Howe slid into the second pairs slot despite placing fourth; their consistency through the Grand Prix season tipped the scales
Women’s Singles
Amber Glenn headlines the women’s team. The 26-year-old Texan won nationals, erasing the sting of missing the 2022 squad because of a COVID-19 positive and a shaky championships performance.
Isabeau Levito, 18, from Mount Laurel, New Jersey, will make her Olympic debut after taking bronze at nationals.
Alysa Liu, 20, returns for her second Games. The Oakland native placed sixth in Beijing at age 16 and was runner-up to Glenn last week.
Men’s Singles
Ilia Malinin, dubbed the “Quad God,” tops the men’s lineup. The 21-year-old swept the short and free programs in St. Louis to earn his first Olympic nod and is the only man currently competing a quadruple axel in international competition.
Maxim Naumov, 24, of Norwood, Massachusetts, snagged the second spot with a third-place nationals finish.
Andrew Torgashev, also 24, from Coral Springs, Florida, rounded out the trio by placing second.
Selection Process
Athletes were ranked using a weighted formula that combined their nationals placement with their best two Grand Prix scores from the fall. Only the top finishers in each discipline were guaranteed nomination; discretionary picks filled the remaining slots and were approved by an eight-person selection committee Sunday night.
Olivia M. Hartwell reported that no alternates were named, meaning any withdrawals before the February 4 opening ceremony will force the federation to petition the U.S. Olympic Committee for late additions.
By the Numbers
| Discipline | Veterans | Olympic Debuts |
|---|---|---|
| Ice Dance | 2 | 4 |
| Pairs | 0 | 4 |
| Women’s | 1 | 2 |
| Men’s | 0 | 3 |
| Total | 3 | 13 |
The average age of the team is 22.4 years, down from 24.1 in 2022.
What’s Next
The 16 skaters will reconvene in Newark, New Jersey, next week for a week-long training camp before departing for Milan on January 30. Competition begins February 6 with the team event, followed by individual events February 8-15.
Key Takeaways
- The U.S. is sending its youngest Olympic figure-skating team since 1998
- Veterans Chock and Bates anchor the ice-dance contingent chasing another medal
- Malinin’s quad axel could tilt the men’s podium if he lands it cleanly
- No alternates were named, raising injury stakes over the next three weeks
