Alysa Liu's short program puts USA in lead at 2026 Winter Olympics figure skating team event

The United States kicked off their defense of the figure skating team gold medal in strong fashion on Day 1 of the team event at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina. Reigning world champion Alysa Liu delivered a captivating women's short program, helping Team USA claim the top spot in the standings with 25 points. Japan sits close behind in second with 23 points, while Italy holds third with 22.

Alysa Liu's performance

Alysa Liu, performing second-to-last in the segment, earned a total score of 74.90. This placed her second overall in the women's short program, behind Japan's Kaori Sakamoto, who posted an impressive 78.88. Liu's performance secured nine crucial points for the Americans, keeping them ahead after the opening segments.

Alysa Liu's personal and poignant routine

Skating to the heartfelt "Promise," Liu poured deep emotion into every moment on the ice. She opened with a triple flip and double Axel, followed by her signature triple Lutz-triple loop combination, though the loop received a quarter under-rotation call. Despite minor issues like an under-rotation on the combo and a small edge mistake on a triple flip, Liu recovered beautifully with Level 4 spins and footwork.

Her technical element score (TES) stood at 39.52, complemented by 35.38 in program components. The routine felt deeply personal to the 20-year-old.

"I always do this with 'Promise,'" she said. "This program does something to me. I guess it's a super personal program, and I love being in the feels, so I was really trying to dive deep into it, especially while I was still out there on the ice. You know, we're not out there for very long, so I try to save her every moment."

Teammates, including Ilia Malinin, Amber Glenn, Ellie Kam, Danny O'Shea, and Andrew Torgashev, watched ringside, wrapped in American flags. When Liu nailed her back-to-back triple Lutz and triple loop, Glenn reacted with visible relief and pride, throwing her head back and clutching her chest. The crowd erupted in cheers at the end, with teammates waving flags enthusiastically.

Strong starts set the tone

The day began with the rhythm dance, where Madison Chock and Evan Bates, undefeated this season, set a season-best 91.06 with their Lenny Kravitz medley. Their performance topped the leaderboard and added strong points.

"We definitely skated great, and very happy," Bates said. "As you saw at the finish, I think we both felt just the excitement of getting these Olympics underway."

In the pairs short program, Ellie Kam and Danny O'Shea started solidly but suffered a fall on a throw triple loop, incurring a one-point deduction for a 66.59 score and fifth place.

Looking ahead for Team USA

With the Olympics opening ceremony set for Friday and individual events on the horizon, Liu returns to the ice on February 17 for the women's individual short program. The US aim to extend their medal streak in the team event, which began in 2014, and defend their 2022 gold.