Team USA’s figure skating triumph at Milano Cortina Olympics

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When IOC President Kirsty Coventry declared the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics “closed” on Sunday, Team USA figure skating’s most successful Olympic performance in decades officially came to a close.

U.S. Figure Skating (USFS) athletes secured three medals (including team gold and women’s singles gold) and recorded eleven top-12 placements in the individual disciplines. Across the nearly three weeks of competition in Milan, American figure skaters delivered many of the leading storylines at the Games.

However, few athletes reached the levels of traction seen by what some fans have dubbed America’s ‘Blade Angels:’ Alysa Liu, Amber Glenn, and Isabeau Levito. Among the three star skaters — all current or former U.S. champions — Team USA saw many of its most viral moments in Milan.

The trio’s newfound stardom leaves many asking… what’s next?

Alysa Liu

After winning the first women’s singles gold medal for the United States since 2002, San Francisco Bay Area native Alysa Liu captured the hearts and attention of Americans. The 20-year-old became an overnight sensation, her Instagram following skyrocketing from 200,000 to 4 million (and counting) in just a week.

Liu leaves Milano Cortina with two Olympic gold medals after returning empty-handed from the 2022 Beijing Olympics, where she finished sixth in the women’s event and was left off the team event roster.

Four years later – with a retirement in between – Liu returns to the United States as an Olympic Champion and arguably the most in-demand star in women’s sports. So, what’s next for Liu?

At just 20 years old, the skater’s best years could still lie ahead. Liu has already won the world title and Olympic gold – the sport’s most coveted accolades – but given the skater’s obvious love for performing, why stop?

“I have no plans to leave (figure skating), yet,” Liu said to NBC’s Andrea Joyce at Sunday’s closing ceremony. “I can’t imagine not skating next year.”

While the Olympic figure skating competition concluded this week, the 2026 World Figure Skating Championships are just over a month away. Held in Prague from March 23 to March 29, the event could feature many of the top stars from Milano Cortina.

That roster will include reigning world and Olympic champion Alysa Liu.

Despite the spiraling social media buzz, Liu and her coaching staff remain focused on their next task. “No press tour right away, no nothing,” Liu’s coach Phillip DiGuglielmo told Olympics.com last week.

DiGuglielmo added that they may temporarily close off Liu’s training rink in Oakland to ensure safety and minimize distractions. “Dealing with that kind of attention is not what she wants now. She doesn’t want to be famous. She wants to be Alysa.”

If Liu can win again in Prague, she would become the first American woman to win back-to-back titles since Michelle Kwan (2000, 2001).

Amber Glenn

Few stars rode more of an Olympic rollercoaster than Amber Glenn. As the three-time U.S. Champion and a gold-medal contender, the 26-year-old from Texas entered Milano Cortina with significant visibility.

With her Olympic berth, Glenn recorded two historic milestones. Glenn was the oldest U.S. women’s singles skater to qualify for the Olympics since 1928 and the first openly LGBTQ+ women’s singles skater on Team USA.

Ahead of her debut in the team event, Glenn attested to her experience as an LGBTQ+ individual under the current political administration. “It’s been a hard time for the community overall in this administration…There are things that I disagree with, but as a community, we are strong, and we support each other, and brighter days are ahead of us,” she added.

Glenn’s statement attracted harsh backlash from conservative media and corresponding online communities. The skater’s social media feeds were quickly flooded with harassment as she prepared for her Olympic debut.

When Glenn struggled in the team event free skate, the backlash intensified. Though the U.S. Champion finished third in her respective event, helping Team USA to Olympic gold, the online fury would not subside. When Glenn committed a costly error in the short program of the individual competition, the external pressures became too much to bear.

She had recently become only the fifth woman to land a triple Axel at a Winter Olympic Games, but Glenn’s short program result was “soul-crushing.”

“(Amber) should not have to carry the hate she has received while also trying to land her jumps,” Glenn’s sister, Brooke, wrote in an op-ed for Teen Vogue. In the free skate – Amber’s final performance in Milan – she delivered the third-best skate of the day, surging from 13th to fifth place.

Had the skater not committed the ‘fluke’ error in the short program, the bronze medal was likely hers. Luckily for figure skating fans, her results in Milano Cortina left Glenn hungry for more.

Glenn has her sights set on another redemptive performance at March’s world championships. “As of right now, I’m planning to compete (in Prague), which is great,” Glenn told Olympics.com’s Gracie Gold.

With the Olympic pressure behind her and “baggage unpacked,” Prague could mark Glenn’s best chance to clinch her first world medal.

Isabeau Levito

While Liu and Glenn’s storylines dominated the Olympics, 18-year-old Isabeau Levito quietly completed her Olympic debut in Milan. The daughter of an Italian immigrant from Milan, Levito finished 12th in the women’s singles competition after struggles in her free skate.

Though the final result was not what the Olympic rookie imagined, Levito’s trademark elegance and balletic style captivated audiences during her Olympic run. Unfortunately, the teenager was subjected to an onslaught of online harassment stemming from a viral interview with NBC.

In the interview, Levito shared her positive experience as a first-time Olympian living and training in the Olympic village in Milan. “I feel like I’m exactly where I want to be, and I’m so glad that things have aligned and worked out for me to be here. And I’m excited for the opportunity to compete,” Levito said.

Thousands of social media users quickly connected the 18-year-old’s comments to widely circulated stories regarding condom distribution in the Olympic Village, leading to inappropriate speculation and harassment.

Amber Glenn later called the comments “disturbing” and “disappointing.” “I hope we can work toward creating a safer space for athletes, especially for young people like Isabeau,” Glenn reflected last week.

Despite unwarranted online attention, the former World silver medalist and U.S. Champion delivered a near-perfect performance in her Olympic debut. Next month, Levito will have a shot at her second world championship podium.

As the youngest skater in the ‘Blade Angels’ trio, Levito’s first Olympic appearance could be one of many to come. Liu left empty-handed in her 2022 Olympic debut. In 2026, she left as an Olympic champion. Maybe Isabeau Levito is next in line.

Together, Liu, Glenn, and Levito leave Milano Cortina not only as Olympians but as defining faces of a new era in American figure skating. With Prague on the horizon and another Olympic cycle ahead, their stories may only be beginning.