"What to know: Nicknamed the "Quad God," 21-year-old Malinin is the only skater to have successfully landed a quadruple axel in competition, and performs a record-setting seven quad jumps in his current free skate. With skills no one else on the planet can match, and a showstopping backflip just for fun, Malinin doesn't just win titles, he dominates. A two-time world champion and winner of four consecutive national titles, he hasn't lost a competition since 2023. -- D'Arcy Maine"
"What to know: Liu, now 20, won her first national championship at just 13 and made her Olympic debut as a 16-year-old in Beijing in 2022. After a sixth-place finish in the women's singles event and a bronze medal at the world championships shortly after, Liu took a two-year break from the sport. She made her competitive return during the 2024-25 season -- and incredibly won the world championship title in March, becoming the first American to do so since 2006. -- Maine"
The 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics open with simultaneous cauldron lightings in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo and athlete parades in four locations, showcasing more than 2,900 athletes across 15 venues in northern Italy. The U.S. delegation includes prominent figure skaters and other top competitors. Ilia Malinin, 21, performs unprecedented technical elements including a quadruple axel and seven quads in his free skate, holding multiple world and national titles with an undefeated run since 2023. Alysa Liu returned from a two-year break to win a recent world championship, after debuting at Beijing 2022 as a teenager. The Games mix established champions and rising talents to watch.
Read at ESPN.com
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