"On a mid-December Saturday afternoon in Los Angeles, Alex and Maia Shibutani are unlinking their heads from a single interlocked position, like a life-size Lego build coming apart. The Shib Sibs, as the brother-sister duo are affectionately known in the ice dance community, are taking their Bustle photo shoot very seriously, game to try different poses as the dulcet sounds of Olivia Dean play in the background."
"Shortly after that career high, however, they were hit with devastating news: Maia, then 25, was diagnosed with kidney cancer, and the two announced a hiatus. During their seven years away, they settled into life off the ice in LA (in separate houses, for those curious) and successfully pivoted to other creative endeavors like inking book deals and exploring content production."
""Over the past seven years, we've been able to experience so much life." - Maia Shibutani Now in their 30s (Alex, 34; Maia, 31), the duo have mounted a comeback and are sticking to a vigorous training regimen. "I've never been in better shape in my entire life," Maia says proudly. At times, the pressure can be intense: In October, when a leaked video went viral showing Alex yelling at Maia during a training session, he immediatel"
Alex and Maia Shibutani posed together during a Los Angeles photo shoot, showing concentration, levity, and close physical rapport. The siblings have been competitive ice dance partners for 21 years and frequently finish each other's sentences. They won two bronze medals at the 2018 Olympics and became the first ice dancers of Asian descent to medal. Maia was diagnosed with kidney cancer at 25, prompting a competitive hiatus during which both pursued creative projects and lived off the ice in Los Angeles. Now in their thirties, the duo have mounted a comeback with a rigorous training regimen and renewed physical conditioning, amid occasional pressure captured on viral training footage.
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