From left, Evan Bates, Madison Chock, Danny O’Shea, and Ellie Kam of Team USA receive their gold medals for the figure skating team event at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Madison Chock and Evan Bates set the tone. Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea delivered under pressure. Alysa Liu skated in both women’s segments.
Together, their efforts helped the United States edge Japan by one point to defend its Olympic team figure skating title Sunday night at the Milan Cortina Games.
Chock and Bates opened the three-day competition with a world-leading 91.06 points in the rhythm dance Friday, performing to Lenny Kravitz before a packed crowd at the Milano Ice Skating Arena. The three-time world champions, who were part of the U.S. team gold medal in 2022 but waited two years to receive their medals because of a Russian doping case, gave the Americans an early cushion in the standings.
Kam and O’Shea were even better in the free skate Sunday, producing a season-best 135.36. Skating to “Sweet Dreams” by the Eurythmics and “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” by Tears for Fears, they avoided costly mistakes and finished ahead of the Canadian team, preventing the Americans from dropping a crucial point in the standings.
From left, Ellie Kam, Alysa Liu, and Amber Glenn of Team USA react after receiving their gold medals for the figure skating team event at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Liu competed in both women’s segments for the U.S. In Friday’s short program, the 20-year-old was clean on all three jumping passes, including a triple lutz-triple loop combination, to score 74.90 points and place second behind Japan’s Kaori Sakamoto.
“I never thought I would be back, honestly,” Liu said of returning to the Olympics after a brief retirement. “It’s surreal.”
The United States ultimately finished with 69 points to Japan’s 68, securing its second consecutive Olympic team title.
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