MILAN, Italy — The 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics reached a fever pitch on Thursday, February 19, 2026, as the world’s elite figure skaters prepared for a historic showdown at the Milano Ice Skating Arena. With the women’s free skate final looming, Team USA’s Alysa Liu remains in striking distance of the podium, sitting in third place following a high-stakes short program.
The competition has been defined by both breathtaking technical feats and shocking upsets. Japan currently holds a dominant position, with Ami Nakai and three-time world champion Kaori Sakamoto leading the field. However, Liu’s strong performance has kept American hopes alive for the first women’s individual gold since 2002. Fellow Americans Isabeau Levito and Amber Glenn face uphill battles, sitting in eighth and 13th place respectively after Glenn suffered a costly “popped” jump that invalidated a key element.
A Tournament of Upsets: The “Quad God” Falls
The 2026 Games have proven that no lead is safe. Earlier this week, the men’s event sent shockwaves through the sport when American superstar Ilia Malinin, known globally as the “Quad God,” finished a disappointing eighth in his Olympic debut. Despite being the heavy favorite to take gold, Malinin struggled to find his footing, proving that the high-risk nature of quadruple jumps remains the ultimate gamble under the International Judging System (IJS).
In the pairs event, Germany’s Minerva Fabienne Hase and Nikita Volodin secured a narrow lead in a tight race for gold, while the American duo of Emily Chan and Spencer Akira Howe climbed to a respectable seventh-place finish after a season-best free skate.
Judging Controversies and System Reviews
As the scores roll in, the International Skating Union (ISU) finds itself under intense scrutiny. U.S. Figure Skating has officially announced intentions to ask the ISU for a formal review of the ice dance judging system. The move follows a “suspicious scoring” controversy that left fans and officials questioning the influence of individual judges on the final standings.
The current IJS, introduced in 2004 to replace the old 6.0 system following the 2002 “Skategate” scandal, evaluates performances based on three primary program components:
- Composition: The vision and arrangement of the routine.
- Presentation: The delivery, expression, and musicality.
- Skating Skills: The technical quality of edges, steps, and turns.
The Road Ahead: Women’s Free Skate Final
All eyes now turn to the final flight of the women’s event. For Alysa Liu, the path to gold requires a flawless technical performance to overcome the narrow lead held by Japan’s Nakai and Sakamoto. The “Blade Angels”—the nickname given to the U.S. trio of Liu, Glenn, and Levito—remain the sentimental favorites for American fans, despite the setbacks faced in the short program.
As the 2026 Winter Games continue, the blend of 18th-century tradition and modern “quad-era” athleticism continues to captivate global audiences, proving that in figure skating, the line between a gold medal and a heartbreaking fall is thinner than a skate blade.