The United States is gearing up for the upcoming Milan Cortina Olympics with a formidable figure skating team, led by world champion Ilia Malinin and the esteemed ice dance pair, Madison Chock and Evan Bates. As the event in Italy approaches, this team is being hailed as one of the strongest in U.S. Figure Skating history.

Ilia Malinin, who recently clinched his fourth consecutive national title, is poised to become the new star of American men’s figure skating. With expectations high, he aims to continue the legacy of Nathan Chen by securing a gold medal at the Milano Ice Skating Arena.

The dynamic duo of Chock and Bates, fresh off a record-breaking seventh U.S. title win, are also strong contenders for Olympic glory. They will be joined by world champion Alysa Liu and her teammate Amber Glenn, who has just celebrated her third national title in a row.

During a special televised event on Sunday, U.S. Figure Skating unveiled a team of 16 athletes set to compete in the Winter Games, generating excitement and anticipation among fans and participants alike.

“I’m thrilled for the Olympic atmosphere and the spirit it embodies,” Malinin expressed. “I’m hopeful about going for that Olympic gold.”

Joining Malinin in the men’s competitions are Andrew Torgashev, known for his daring performances, and Maxim Naumov, who proudly carries the dreams of his late parents as he earns his place on the Olympic team. Both hail from Florida and Connecticut, respectively, and bring their own unique strengths to the squad.

Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova were returning from a talent camp in Kansas when their American Airlines flight collided with a military helicopter and crashed into the icy Potomac River in January 2025. One of the last conversations they had with their son was about what it would take for him to follow in their footsteps by becoming an Olympian.

“We absolutely did it,” Naumov said. “Every day, year after year, we talked about the Olympics. It means so much in our family. It’s what I’ve been thinking about since I was 5 years old, before I even know what to think. I can’t put this into words.”

Chock and Bates helped the Americans win team gold at the Beijing Games four years ago, but they finished fourth – one spot out of the medals – in the ice dance competition. They have hardly finished anywhere but first in the years since, winning three consecutive world championships and the gold medal at three straight Grand Prix Finals.

U.S. silver medalists Emilea Zingas and Vadym Koklesnik also made the dance team, as did the Canadian-born Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko, who became eligible for the Olympics in November when her American citizenship came through.

Liu was picked for her second Olympic team after briefly retiring following the Beijing Games. She had been burned out by years of practice and competing, but stepping away seemed to rejuvenate the 20-year-old from Clovis, California, and she returned to win the first world title by an American since Kimmie Meissner stood atop the podium two decades ago.

Now, the avant-garde Liu will be trying to help the U.S. win its first women’s medal since Sasha Cohen in Turin in 2006, and perhaps the first gold medal since Sarah Hughes triumphed four years earlier at the Salt Lake City Games.

Her biggest competition, besides a powerful Japanese contingent, could come from her own teammates: Glenn, a first-time Olympian, has been nearly unbeatable the past two years, while 18-year-old Isabeau Levito is a former world silver medalist.

“This was my goal and my dream and it just feels so special that it came true,” said Levito, whose mother is originally from Milan.

The two pairs spots went to Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea, the U.S. silver medalists, and the team of Emily Chan and Spencer Howe.

The top American pairs team, two-time reigning U.S. champions Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov, were hoping that the Finnish-born Efimova would get her citizenship approved in time to compete in Italy. But despite efforts by the Skating Club of Boston, where they train, and the help of their U.S. senators, she did not receive her passport by the selection deadline.

“The importance and magnitude of selecting an Olympic team is one of the most important milestones in an athlete’s life,” U.S. Figure Skating CEO Matt Farrell said, “and it has such an impact, and while there are sometimes rules, there is also a human element to this that we really have to take into account as we make decisions and what’s best going forward from a selection process.

“Sometimes these aren’t easy,” Farrell said, “and this is not the fun part.”

The fun is just beginning, though, for the 16 athletes picked for the powerful American team.