Kaori Sakamoto of JapanAtsushi Tomura/Getty Images

US Olympic Figure Skating 2026 Top Men, Women Superstars, Uniforms and More

Kristopher KnoxFeb 3, 2026

The 2026 Winter Olympics are set to get underway on Friday. While the first preliminary events began to unfold on Wednesday, Friday's opening ceremony will officially begin the Milano Cortina Games.

While the Winter Olympics feature many niche or Olympic-specific events, figure skating is one of the more mainstream sports that casual fans tend to enjoy. It also happens to be a discipline that will be featured early in the Olympic schedule.

The first routines will be held on Friday, with more ice skating events taking place on Saturday and Sunday.

What can figure skating fans look forward to at the Milano Cortina Games? He's a quick preview.

Top Superstars to Know

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Tim Clayton/Getty Images

Ilia Malinin of Team USA

Ilia Malinin (USA)

21-year-old phenom Ilia Malinin isn't just the star of the men's division; should be one of the most exciting athletes to watch in any sport at this year's Olympics. The two-time world champion and a three-time Grand Prix-winner combines traditional figure-skating finesse with the risk-taking and innovation of a freestyle skateboarder.

Malinin is, to date, the only figure skater who has successfully landed a quadruple axel in competition. His accomplishment of the feat in 2022 is akin to skateboarder Tony Hawk successfully landing the 900 in 1999.

While Malinin's place in history is secure, he's getting his first chance to chase Olympic glory.

"There's going to be a lot of pressure," Malinin said, per Rohan Nadkarni of NBC News, "especially because it's my first Olympics, and it's going to be just something that I'll have to look into."

Expect Malinin to be one of the top overall stars of this year's Olympics.

Kaori Sakamoto (Japan)

Japan's Kaori Sakamoto figures to be the standout of this year's women's division. A three-time world champion at just 25 years old, Sakamoto is hoping to finally complete her ascent on the Olympic stage.

Sakamoto placed fifth and sixth in team and individual events, respectively, at the 2018 Olympics in PyeongChang at age 17. At the 2022 Olympics in Beijing, Sakamoto won an individual bronze and a team silver. This year, she's focusing on an individual run and is looking for her best finish yet.

"If I can increase the quality of what I can do and avoid all mistakes, I can put myself in a position to win," Sakamoto said, per Oriyama Toshimi of Nippon.com. "I started seeing things this way in the 2023–24 season when I won in all of the competitions, including the World Championships."

That 2023-24 season saw Sakamoto win the Japan Championships, Gran Prix Finland, Skate Canada, the Autumn Classic, the Challenge Cup, the Japan Open, and the World Championship.

Sakamoto has already won the NHK Trophy and the Japan Championships in the 2025-26 season.

Preview

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Tang Xinyu/VCG via Getty Images

Alysa Liu of Team USA

The figure skating competition won't be a two-star extravaganza, of course. Sakamoto will feature competition from the likes of Alysa Liu (USA), Adeliia Petrosian (Individual Neutral Athlete), and Amber Glenn (USA). Malinin will be challenged by the likes of Yuma Kagiyama (Japan) and Adam Siao Him Fa (France).

Fans will also get to see stars like USA's Christiana Caarreira and Ami Nakai of Japan in team competition. Standouts like USA's Madison Chock and Laurence Fournier Beaudry of France will also take part in the Ice Dance competition.

Fans and skaters alike will be hoping for a smoother competition than the one that unfolded in Beijing. Four years ago, things were thrown into chaos when Russian competitor Kamila Valieva tested positive for a banned heart medication.

Valieva finished without an individual medal, and Team USA was retroactively given the team gold in 2024.

Russian and Belarusian athletes will be allowed to compete in this year's competition as Individual Neutral Athletes (AINs, though Valieva's four-year ban only recently ended, and she wasn't eligible for the Olympics.

Team USA, of course, will be looking to legitimately win this year's gold. Fans can get a look at all United States athletes, as well as this year's uniforms, at TeamUSA.com.

Fans who want to see some of the best team uniforms from around the world can get a great look in this fun rundown by CBC's Rosie Prata.