ST. LOUIS — U.S. Figure Skating had to weigh every possible scenario when determining which 16 skaters would represent Team USA at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Its selection committee met to deliberate after each discipline finished their final segments at nationals. Committee members considered each skater's recent body of work, reviewing data points and strength of performances. After two days of deliberations, joyous reveals and tough conversations, U.S. Figure Skating made official its roster, a group of athletes poised for medal podiums in Milano Cortina.
“Every one of us can agree that we have some phenomenal athletes as part of Team USA going into Milan,” said Justin Dillon, USFS chief high performance officer.
The meeting for each discipline used up all alotted 90 minutes — the committee also selected who would compete at world championships and Four Continents — but that doesn't mean every decision for the Olympic team was difficult. For example, the women’s team was straightforward with Amber Glenn, Alysa Liu and Isabeau Levito making it clear they were the trio after finishing with gold, silver and bronze at nationals, each smashing their short program and free skate. The same could be said for the top male skater in Ilia Malinin, who is the gold medal favorite in Milano.
