At the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, Team USA was defined by a historic team win, the end of a medal drought in the women’s events, and boundaries broken on and off the ice. Men’s skater Ilia Malinin became the first to land a legal backflip in the 21st century Olympics, while Alysa Liu made her comeback to the ice and brought home a gold medal. But taking a deeper look, these elite athletes had to go through much more than the Olympic trials to make it to this grand stage.
Coming into the Olympics, Ilia Malinin was heavily favored to win. He had captured the hearts of Americans with his well-earned nickname—the quad god—for mastering the quadruple axel skill, one of his signature moves. He happens to be the only skater, male or female, to have successfully landed the quadruple axel, skating’s most difficult jump, in competition. Malinin began skating at the age of 6, and by 18, he won his first senior national title at the 2023 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. He reigned supreme, taking home the title in 2024 and 2025. The Olympics were expected to be the same – with Ilia Malinin on top of the podium.
Everything started as usual in Milan, where Malinin delivered a flawless short program, earning him a score of 108.16 and placing him first going into the free skate. Everything was going well for Malinin, but he shared that he felt nervous entering the free skate, as the points earned would make up the majority of his score. Disaster struck, because when he took the ice his routine was riddled with mistakes. Viewers back in the U.S. were shocked, disappointed, and a few were even confused—including this author. His shocking performance set him back to 8th place, a devastating blow for the young skater.
After his routine, Malinin said in an NBC interview that the pressure “was really just something that overwhelmed me, and I just felt like I had no control.” And while he might not have had control over what occurred on the ice, he reflected on how he could improve to prevent this disappointing circumstance from happening again. Downcast, Malinin told NBC that he would “use it to my knowledge to see what I can do in the future for this to not happen.” But he didn’t go home empty handed as he had launched Team USA to a gold medal in the team event.
While the United States may have missed a medal in the men’s singles, the team’s fate changed when Alysa Liu hit the ice in the women’s singles.
Liu began skating at the age of 5, and quickly rose to the top. She won her first national title at 13, and became the youngest to do so in the United States. Her name was a frequent at the top of leaderboards until age 16, when she lost her love for the sport and retired. The pressure to perform became too great and she saw skating as something she needed to do instead of something she wanted to do.
But her story didn’t end there, because almost 2 years later, Liu came back to skating with a different view on it. She started selecting her own music, costumes, and program aesthetic which brought the fun back into skating. Liu also allowed herself a life outside of skating, where she took up hobbies including photography. This newfound freedom gave Liu the chance to make her skating her own and enjoy it more. In a Team USA article by Lisa Costantini, Liu said, “I love working with colors and patterns and incorporating them in whatever ways I can: my hair, my clothing. I like to see my artistic visions come to light.” By viewing skating as an art and taking control of her routines, she stood apart from competitors and made her way back onto the world stage. Winning the 2025 world championships just months before the Olympics made her a strong contender for a medal.
For Liu, the Olympic games were her time to shine. The publicity allowed her to showcase her unique perspective on skating and inspire others to break free from the pressure to be perfect. Skating to “Promise” by Laufey, Liu completed three triple jumps and one double in her short program and received a score of 76.59 which lifted her to third place. This put her in a solid position heading into the free skate, but she still needed a flawless performance to take a shot at gold. As soon as she took the ice, everything went perfectly. Liu performed a free skate set to Donna Summer’s “MacArthur Park Suite,” smiling through seven triples and four doubles to earn a 150.20, which was the highest score of the night.
While other athletes seemed focused on landing their elements and impressing the judges, Liu seemed to enjoy her skate, not feeling any nerves despite the big crowd. Liu shared with Team USA that she feels “pretty indifferent about placements. Medaling doesn’t fulfill me. I skate because I like to skate.” Her skate felt freeing, as she glided around the ice, executing elements with ease. Her performance launched her into first place, and she triumphantly took home the gold medal. She also contributed to Team USA’s gold medal in the team event, winning her yet another medal.
The 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics illustrated to the nation the pressure elite athletes have on them to perform, and how that can affect their love for their sport. Ultimately, the Games redefined success for Team USA, proving that overcoming mental hurdles is just as crucial as technical skill.
