Breaking down Isabeau Levito’s figure skating costumes over the years
Since 2022, South Jersey’s Isabeau Levito has been one of figure skating’s biggest stars. Ahead of her Olympic debut Thursday in the women’s short program, we took a look back at her costumes since she burst onto the scene at 14 years old.
Isabeau Levito competes during the women’s free skating competition at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
A star is born
Isabeau Levito, of Mount Holly, competes in the short program at the 2022 U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Nashville. Levito went on to win the bronze medal, but at 14, she is too young to make the Winter Olympics team.
Levito made her senior debut during the 2021-22 season at age 14. She skated her short program to “The Swan,” by Camille Saint-Saëns, performed by Joshua Bell.
Isabeau Levito was too young for the Olympics in 2022, but she won the bronze medal at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in this dress, made in Russia. She was also named to the World Junior Championships, where she skated to the “Russian Dance” from Swan Lake by Tchaikovsky, and won.
Isabeau Levito competes in the women’s free skate program during the U.S. Figure Skating Championships Friday, Jan. 7, 2022, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Zaleski)
Isabeau Levito wore a Spanish-inspired dress for her short program in the 2022-23 season. She skated to “Una noche más” by Yasmin Levy.
Isabeau Levito performs during the women’s short program at the U.S. figure skating championships in San Jose, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023. (AP Photo/Josie Lepe)
National champion
Isabeau Levito reacts after her performance during the women’s free skate at the U.S. figure skating championships in San Jose, Calif., Friday, Jan. 27, 2023. (AP Photo/Josie Lepe)
In January 2023, Levito won the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in San Jose, Calif. She went on to place fourth at the World Figure Skating Championships in Saitama, Japan.
Reputation era
21 September 2023, Bavaria, Oberstdorf: Figure Skating: Challenger Series – Nebelhorn Trophy, Individual, Ladies, Short Program. Isabeau Levito from the USA on the ice. Photo by: Angelika Warmuth/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images
Early in the 2023-24 season, Levito wore a dress with a snake wrapped around her neck and the head on her arm. Ice dancers Madison Chock and Evan Bates had a snake program a few years before, and Chock advised Levito on this program.
Switching gears
COLUMBUS, OHIO – JANUARY 25: Isabeau Levito skates in the Women’s Short Program Dance during the U.S. Figure Skating Championships at Nationwide Arena on January 25, 2024 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
Levito changed her short program midseason in 2023-24. Because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Levito stopped getting dresses made in Russia. This one was made by Josiane Lamond in Canada.
Levito wore this layered black, white, and gray dress the first part of the 2023-24 season for her long program, skating to “The White Crow,” by Lisa Batiashvili. After placing third in the short program at Skate America that season, she finished second in the free skate to end in second overall.
Isabeau Levito, of the United States, competes in the women’s free skate program during the Grand Prix Skate America Series in Allen, Texas, Sunday, Oct. 22, 2023. (AP Photo/Roger Steinman)
Silver star
Isabeau Levito, of the United States, poses with her silver medal at the world figure skating championships Friday, March 22, 2024, in Montreal. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP)
Levito won the silver medal at the 2024 world championships in Montreal with this dress by Canada’s Lamond.
Road to Milan
Isabeau Levito of the United States skates in the Women’s Short Program in the 2025 Skate Canada International event in Saskatoon, on Friday, October 31, 2025. (Matt Smith/The Canadian Press via AP)
Levito is wearing this red dress by Lisa McKinnon for her short program this Olympic season. She is skating to a compilation of sassy songs from Sophia Loren movies. At Skate Canada, a Grand Prix event, she placed second with this routine.
Ticket punched
Isabeau Levito performs during the women’s free skating competition at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in St. Louis. She won the bronze medal.
Levito is wearing this blue dress by McKinnon for her free skate (or long program) this season, and skates to “Cinema Paradiso” by Ennio Morricone. She won bronze at January’s U.S. Figure Skating Championships to earn the trip to Milan.
A throwback
South Jersey figure skater Isabeau Levito was announced as an Olympian on Sunday. She skated during the “Making Team USA” performance following the announcement.
Levito was injured for a chunk of 2024-25 season, so she did not compete at the U.S. championships, but came back to place fourth at worlds. She wore this dress from that year’s program for the exhibition after making the Olympic team.
Flying high
Red Bull commissioned this dress for Isabeau Levito from dressmaker Lisa McKinnon, who made costumes for all three American women in 2026, as well as many of the international competitors. It was featured in an amusing campaign on social media.
Red Bull commissioned this dress for Levito from McKinnon, who made costumes for all three American women in 2026, as well as many of the international competitors. It was featured in an amusing campaign on social media.
U.S. figure skaters Isabeau Levito, Alysa Liu, and Amber Glenn will take the ice Tuesday during NBC’s coverage of the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.
The American trio, who call themselves the “Blade Angels,” will compete in the short program, which will be televised live beginning at 12:45 p.m. Philadelphia time on USA Network. Coverage will move to NBC at about 2:40 p.m.
Levito, Liu, and Glenn will skate in the fifth and final group. Here’s when they’re scheduled to take the ice:
4:20 p.m.: Liu
4:27 p.m.: Levito
4:46 p.m.: Glenn
The free skate, the second part of the event, is scheduled to take place beginning at 1 p.m. Thursday.
The three U.S. skaters are trying to end a two-decade medal drought in the women’s event. The last American to medal was Sasha Cohen, who took home a silver in Turin, Italy, in 2006. Sarah Hughes won the gold for Team USA during the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics.
Liu and Glenn have already won gold medals in Milan after the U.S. edged Japan by one point in the team figure skating team event last week.
As a general rule, our schedules include all live broadcasts on TV, but not tape-delayed broadcasts on cable channels. We’ll let you know what’s on NBC’s broadcasts, whether they’re live or not.
NBC
Noon: Freestyle skiing — Women’s and men’s aerials qualifying (tape-delayed)
12:45 p.m.: Snowboarding — Women’s slopestyle final
1:30 p.m.: Freestyle skiing — Men’s big air final
2:40 p.m.: Figure skating — Women’s short program
8 p.m.: Prime-time highlights include women’s figure skating
11:35 p.m.: Late night highlights
CNBC
7 a.m.: Snowboarding — Women’s slopestyle final
8:30 a.m.: Speedskating — Men’s and women’s team pursuit semifinals
9:05 a.m.: Biathlon — Men’s 4×7.5 kilometer relay
10:20 a.m.: Speedskating — Men’s and women’s team pursuit finals
12:15 p.m.: Men’s hockey — Czechia vs. Denmark, playoff
12:45 p.m.: Figure skating — Women’s short program
3:10 p.m.: Men’s hockey — Sweden vs. Latvia, playoff
How to watch the Olympics on TV and stream online
NBC’s TV coverage will have live events from noon to 5 p.m. Philadelphia time on weekdays and starting in the mornings on the weekends. There’s a six-hour time difference between Italy and here. The traditional prime-time coverage will have highlights of the day and storytelling features.
As far as the TV channels, the Olympics are airing on NBC, USA, CNBC, and NBCSN. Spanish coverage can be found on Telemundo and Universo.
NBCSN is carrying the Gold Zone whip-around show that was so popular during the Summer Olympics in 2024, with hosts including Scott Hanson of NFL RedZone. It used to be just on Peacock, NBC’s online streaming service, but now is on TV, too.
Every event is available to stream live on NBCOlympics.com and the NBC Sports app. You’ll have to log in with your pay-TV provider, whether cable, satellite, or streaming platforms including YouTube TV, FuboTV, and Sling TV.
On Peacock, the events are on the platform’s premium subscription tier, which starts at $10.99 per month or $109.99 per year.
U.S. women’s hockey highlights Day 10 of the Milan Cortina Olympics, with dominant Team USA facing Sweden in the semifinals.
How dominant? In five games, the U.S. women’s team is undefeated, has outscored its opponents 26-1, and blanked Italy, 6-0, in the quarterfinals. Hilary Knight could also set a new Team USA points record on Monday — she’s tied with former teammate Jenny Potter with 32 career Olympic points (11 goals, 21 assists).
U.S. vs. Sweden is scheduled to begin at 10:40 a.m. Philadelphia time, live on NBC. It will be followed by Canada vs. Switzerland in the second semifinal, which is scheduled to get underway at 3:10 p.m.
The two winners will face off in the gold medal game on Thursday at 1:10 p.m., while the two losers will play for bronze Thursday at 8:40 a.m.
The U.S. and Canada have faced off in the women’s ice hockey gold medal game in six of the seven Olympics featuring the sport. Team USA has won twice — 2018 in Pyeongchang, South Korea, and 1998 in Nagano, Japan. Sweden sneaked in and won silver in 2006 in Turin, Italy.
In other Olympics action Monday:
Three U.S. bobsledders — Elana Meyers Taylor, Kaysha Love, and defending gold medalist Kaillie Humphries — could be racing for gold in the women’s monobob. The third run begins at 1 p.m., while the final run will start at 3:30 p.m., both set to air live on NBC.
Freestyle skier Eileen Gu, a San Francisco native who competes for China (her mother’s native country) will defend her 2022 gold medal in the women’s big air live at 1:30 p.m. on NBC. She won the silver medal in the slopestyle competition.
U.S. speedskater Kristen Santos-Griswold will challenge two-time Olympic medalist Courtney Sarault of Canada in the women’s short track 1,000 meters, live at 5 a.m. on USA Network and running again at 10 a.m. on NBC.
Monday’s Olympic TV schedule
As a general rule, our schedules include all live broadcasts on TV, but not tape-delayed broadcasts on cable channels. We’ll let you know what’s on NBC’s broadcasts, whether they’re live or not.
NBC
10 a.m.: Speedskating — Women’s short track 1,000-meter final (tape-delayed)
10:40 a.m.: Women’s ice hockey — U.S. vs. Sweden, semifinal
1 p.m.: Bobsled — Women’s monobob third run
1:30 p.m.: Freestyle skiing — Women’s big air final
2:45 p.m.: Alpine skiing — Men’s slalom, first and final runs
3:30 p.m.: Bobsled — Women’s monobob final run
4 p.m.: Figure skating — Pairs free skate
8 p.m.: Prime-time highlights including freestyle skiing, figure skating, and more.
11:35 p.m.: Late night highlights including Alpine skiing, bobsled, and more.
USA Network
5 a.m.: Speedskating — Women’s short track 1,000-meter preliminaries and final, men’s short track relay semifinal, and men’s 500-meter short track qualifying
7:30 a.m.: Alpine skiing — Men’s slalom final
8:45 a.m.: Bobsled — Two-man, second run
2 p.m.: Figure skating — Pairs free skate
3:10 p.m.: Women’s ice hockey — Canada vs. Switzerland, semifinal
How to watch the Olympics on TV and stream online
NBC’s TV coverage will have live events from noon to 5 p.m. Philadelphia time on weekdays and starting in the mornings on the weekends. There’s a six-hour time difference between Italy and here. The traditional prime-time coverage will have highlights of the day and storytelling features.
As far as the TV channels, the Olympics are airing on NBC, USA, CNBC, and NBCSN. Spanish coverage can be found on Telemundo and Universo.
NBCSN is carrying the Gold Zone whip-around show that was so popular during the Summer Olympics in 2024, with hosts including Scott Hanson of NFL RedZone. It used to be just on Peacock, NBC’s online streaming service, but now is on TV, too.
Every event is available to stream live on NBCOlympics.com and the NBC Sports app. You’ll have to log in with your pay-TV provider, whether cable, satellite, or streaming platforms including YouTube TV, FuboTV, and Sling TV.
On Peacock, the events are on the platform’s premium subscription tier, which starts at $10.99 per month or $109.99 per year.
At 3, she had watched the 2010 Winter Games on TV and was charmed by the figure skating, mimicking Coatesville native Johnny Weir’s movements on the screen. Her mother, Chiara Garberi, thought they’d try skating and brought her to the Igloo Ice Rink in Mount Laurel. Levito quickly took to it.
The next year, she skated in her first event, the Philadelphia Areas Figure Skating Competition. She won. It was the first of many victories as she moved up the levels.
About five years ago, the 2023 U.S. champion said, it all came into focus. The Olympics could be a reality, and the 2026 Games in Milan and Cortina could be her Games.
With Italy in her sights, both of her programs this year were set to Italian music. The short is to a compilation of sassy songs from Sophia Loren movies. The free skate, or long program, is to “Cinema Paradiso” by Ennio Morricone.
In January, at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in St. Louis, that goal became a reality. She skated two clean programs with her signature beautiful footwork and spins and won the bronze medal.
“Isabeau Levito is the skater in the snow globe,” NBC commentator and 1998 Olympic gold medalist Tara Lipinski said on the Today show.
“The Olympics is [always] in the back of your mind,” Levito said last month. “Because, technically, everything gets you there — slowly. But the next stop is actually the Olympics. It’s insane.”
Not that she has any plans to retire after this season. Levito said she already is looking forward to the offseason, when she can work on some of the hardest jumps. This season was all about consistency and her best elements.
But as she grew up, these Olympics seemed like the Games to aim for. Her mother grew up in Milan. Her grandmother and other relatives still live there. She knew she would be 18 and would have a few years as a senior competitor under her belt.
Except for some minor bumps in the plans, including an injury that took her out for much of last season, Levito’s timeline worked out. All along the way, her elegant skating earned her medals at almost every important event leading up to this month’s Olympics.
Born in Philadelphia, Levito grew up in Mount Holly and now lives closer to the rink in Mount Laurel, which has been her second home for nearly her entire life.
She was named after Michelle Pfeiffer’s character in Ladyhawke, her mother’s favorite movie.
“As a young, young kid, I was like, ‘Why is this my name?’” Levito said. “I always have to explain it.”
The pronunciation is “ease-a-bow,” Levito said, but she’s fine with people calling her “izz-a-bow.”
Isabeau Levito’s programs this season are set to Italian music, a nod to the Olympics’ location and her mother’s homeland.
She never had to move away from South Jersey to train (“We love Wawa” and she doesn’t love pumping gas, she told Team USA).
She has had the same coach — Yulia Kuznetsova — the whole time. She also works with Kuznetsova’s husband, Slava Kuznetsov, as well as Otar Japaridze, a former Georgian ice dancer, who competed in those 2010 Olympics that caught Levito’s attention. (Japaridze‘s partner was Allison Reed, who now skates with Saulius Ambrulevicius and finished sixth in ice dance, representing Lithuania.)
“I have a really, really good coaching team,” Levito said, “they kind of hit all the spots with me, and I’ve been working with them since the very beginning. I feel like they made me such a well-rounded skater.”
South Jersey figure skater Isabeau Levito skates after being named an Olympian at the 2026 U.S. Figure Skating Championships in St. Louis.
In 2020, she was one of the top two skaters in the eastern sectional at the novice level, so she was invited to skate in juniors at nationals. Most skaters who do that don’t place and need to change their programs midseason to accommodate different requirements. But Levito earned silver that year as well.
After that, she competed as a senior. Her first year, she earned the bronze medal at nationals but, at 14, was too young to make the Olympic team. (That year, both of her 2026 Olympic teammates had to sit out nationals because they had COVID-19. Alysa Liu already was a two-time national champion, so she made the team anyway. Amber Glenn had been the silver medalist the year before, but she was not chosen.)
Over the years, she won six Grand Prix series medals, including the silver at the Grand Prix Final in 2022 and the gold at the Grand Prix of France in 2023. She also was the 2024 World Figure Skating Championships silver medalist.
When she’s not on the ice, she’s decorating her apartment, reading, crocheting, bedazzling her makeup cases, and taking care of her cat.
“I wouldn’t want to do [college] online,” Levito said last March. “I would want to go in person.”
But the run-up to the Olympics has been extra busy.
“I‘m aware that if I want to go to university next year, I need to do the SATs, the college admissions,” she said in December. “So it makes me think that maybe I might wait another year.”
But first comes her Olympic debut. There is talk that the U.S. women — who named themselves Blade Angels — could sweep the podium.
The three are good friends. In December, Liu called Levito “the wittiest person I ever met.”
Glenn is the three-time U.S. champion and 2024 Grand Prix Final champion. Along with her two national wins, Liu is the reigning world and Grand Prix Final champion.
But they’re not the only stars. The Japanese team includes three-time world champion and 2022 Olympic bronze medalist Kaori Sakamoto. Her two teammates also are serious contenders.
Another contender is Adeliia Petrosian, from Russia, who is the only woman competing who is likely to attempt quadruple jumps.
“And obviously skating my best,” she said, “but I can already feel like I will. So that’s really what I’m really striving for.”
How to watch
Women’s short program: Tuesday, Groups 1 and 2, 12:45 p.m. on USA and Peacock. Groups 3, 4, and 5, 2:40 p.m. on NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) and Peacock. (Levito will skate in Group 4 or 5.)
Women’s free skate: Thursday, 1 p.m., on NBC and Peacock, 1:30 p.m. on USA.
We like to think that big-time athletes are superhuman, and in a lot of ways they are.
They’re still humans, though, capable of feeling emotions and pressure just like the rest of us.
It happened to Ilia Malinin in figure skating on Friday. He said point-blank after his falls on the ice that “the pressure of the Olympics really gets you.” And it happened to another American, skiing star Mikaela Shiffrin, in the team event last Tuesday.
“I didn’t find a comfort level that allows me to produce full speed,” she said after an unusually slow slalom run that left her team off the medal stand.
But both of those moments were just single points in each athlete’s career — and in these Olympics, too. Malinin helped the U.S. win gold in the team event, and on Sunday Shiffrin gets a second shot in the giant slalom.
Ilia Malinin is a pleasure to talk with, uniformly gracious to his competitors, and his frankness after the worst mental collapse of his young career was a credit to him. He said straight out that the pressure got to him. The Olympics is not like anything else. https://t.co/EpMWwE2mKN
Unfortunately for TV viewers here, the event is early in the morning Philadelphia time. (Alpine skiing events are always held during the day wherever they are.) The first run is at 4 a.m. on USA Network, and the second is at 7:30 a.m. on NBC.
But as with all the events at these Olympics, you can catch a replay on Peacock whenever you want afterward. There will also be highlights on NBC’s prime time show.
Elsewhere on Sunday, American speedskater Erin Jackson goes for her second straight gold medal in the women’s 500 meters. You might remember that the Florida native was the U.S. flag bearer in the opening ceremony.
There might also be a moment of Olympic history on Sunday. Norway’s Johannes Høsflot Klæbo can break the record for the most Winter Games golds won by an individual, in cross-country skiing’s 4×7.5km relay. It’s live at 6 a.m. on USA, and the last bit will be simulcast on NBC when the network comes on air at 7.
Erin Jackson was a flag bearer for the U.S. at the opening ceremony in Milan.
NBC will have coverage from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., then it will head to the NBA All-Star Game. The prime time show will start after that.
How to watch the Olympics on TV and stream online
NBC’s TV coverage will have live events from noon to 5 p.m. Philadelphia time on weekdays and starting in the mornings on the weekends. There’s a six-hour time difference between Italy and here. The traditional prime-time coverage will have highlights of the day and storytelling features.
As far as the TV channels, the Olympics are airing on NBC, USA, CNBC, and NBCSN. Spanish coverage can be found on Telemundo and Universo.
NBCSN is carrying the Gold Zone whip-around show that was so popular during the Summer Olympics in 2024, with hosts including Scott Hanson of NFL RedZone. It used to be just on Peacock, NBC’s online streaming service, but now is on TV, too.
Norway’s Johannes Høsflot Klæbo can set an Olympic record for the most gold medals won by an individual on Sunday.
Every event is available to stream live on NBCOlympics.com and the NBC Sports app. You’ll have to log in with your pay-TV provider, whether cable, satellite, or streaming platforms including YouTube TV, FuboTV, and Sling TV.
On Peacock, the events are on the platform’s premium subscription tier, which starts at $10.99 per month or $109.99 per year.
While American viewers recover from the shock of Ilia Malinin’s falls on the skating rink, the Olympics charge on with a Valentine’s Day full of interesting events.
From hockey to speedskating, Alpine skiing and moguls, there will be lots to watch. And since it’s a weekend, NBC will have coverage from 7 a.m. through the night on its big broadcast network.
Speedskater Jordan Stolz is the top individual American to watch, who is set to compete in the 500 meters after winning gold in the 1,000m with an Olympic record on Wednesday. NBC will show it live starting at 11 a.m.
At 3:10 p.m., the U.S. men’s hockey team plays Denmark in its second group game. The Danes only have four players currently on NHL teams, though there are familiar names including Ottawa’s Lars Eller and veteran Carolina goaltender Frederik Andersen.
The U.S. men’s hockey team routed Latvia, 5-1, in its Olympic opener.
Early in the morning — as in 4:30 a.m. — the women’s dual moguls skiing final has two marquee Americans, Elizabeth Lemley and Jaelin Kauf. They won the gold and silver, respectively, in the individual freestyle event. It will air live on USA Network, replayed on NBC at 9:45 a.m., and available to stream whenever you want on Peacock.
How to watch the Olympics on TV and stream online
NBC’s TV coverage will have live events from noon to 5 p.m. Philadelphia time on weekdays and starting in the mornings on the weekends. There’s a six-hour time difference between Italy and here. The traditional prime-time coverage will have highlights of the day and storytelling features.
As far as the TV channels, the Olympics are airing on NBC, USA, CNBC, and NBCSN. Spanish coverage can be found on Telemundo and Universo.
NBCSN is carrying the Gold Zone whip-around show that was so popular during the Summer Olympics in 2024, with hosts including Scott Hanson of NFL RedZone. It used to be just on Peacock, NBC’s online streaming service, but now is on TV, too.
Liz Lemley going airborne on the way to her gold medal in the women’s freestyle moguls event.
Every event is available to stream live on NBCOlympics.com and the NBC Sports app. You’ll have to log in with your pay-TV provider, whether cable, satellite, or streaming platforms including YouTube TV, FuboTV, and Sling TV.
On Peacock, the events are on the platform’s premium subscription tier, which starts at $10.99 per month or $109.99 per year.
MILAN — Ilia Malinin wound his way through the tunnels beneath the Milano Ice Skating Arena on Friday night, trying in vain to explain — or even just understand — exactly went wrong in an Olympic free skate that could only be described as a disaster.
In the arena, Mikhail Shaidorov was taking a victory lap wearing the gold medal everyone expected the American to win.
Meanwhile, Coldplay’s song “Viva La Vida,” and the lyrics that begin, “I used to rule the world …” played over the loudspeakers.
In one of the biggest upsets in figure skating history, Malinin fell twice and made several other glaring mistakes, sending the “Quad God” tumbling all the way off the podium and leaving a star-studded crowd in stunned silence. And that cleared the way for Shaidorov, the mercurial but talented jumping dynamo from Kazakhstan, to claim the first gold medal for his nation at these Winter Games.
“Honestly, I still haven’t been able to process what just happened,” Malinin said. “I mean, going into this competition, I felt really good this whole day. Feeling really solid. I just thought that all I needed to do was trust the process that I’ve always been doing.
“But it’s not like any other competition. It’s the Olympics, and I think people [don’t] realize the pressure and the nerves that actually happen from the inside. So it was really just something that overwhelmed me and I just felt like just I had no control.”
Ilia Malinin falls during his free skate.
Out of control is a good way to summarize the performance.
The 21-year-old Shaidorov finished with a career-best 291.58 points, while Yuma Kagiyama earned his second consecutive Olympic silver medal, and Japanese teammate Shun Sato took bronze.
Then there was Malinin, also 21, who dropped all the way to eighth. The two-time world champion finished with 264.49 points, his worst total score in nearly four years and one that ended a two-plus year unbeaten streak covering 14 competitions.
“Honestly, yeah, I was not expecting that,” Malinin said. “I felt, going into this competition, I was so ready. I just felt ready going on that ice. I think maybe that might have been the reason, is I was too confident it was going to go well.”
Much of Malinin’ journey during the Milan Cortina Games had felt a little bit off.
He was beaten by Kagiyama in the short program of the team event, later acknowledging for the first time the pressure of winning at the Olympics was starting to get to him. And he still wasn’t quite his dominant self in the team free skate, even though a head-to-head win over Sato was enough to clinch the second consecutive gold medal for the American squad.
But by the time of his individual short program Tuesday night, Malinin’s fearless swagger and unrivaled spunk seemed to be back. He took a five-point lead over Kagiyama and Adam Siao Him Fa of France that seemed insurmountable entering Friday night.
“Going into the competition,” Malinin said, “I felt like this is what I wanted to do, this is what we planned, this is what I practiced, and really just needed to go out there and do what I always do. That did not happen, and I don’t know why. ”
Malinin had decided to practice early in the day at U.S. Figure Skating’s alternate training base in Bergamo, just outside of Milan, and that gave him a brief reprieve from the pressure of the Olympic bubble. And he was the essence of calm throughout his warmup, never once falling in all of his practice jumps while wearing his familiar glittering black-and-gold ensemble.
Then came the performance that could haunt Malinin for the rest of his career.
As the atmospheric music with his own voice-over began, he opened with a quad flip, one of a record-tying seven quads in his planned program. Then he appeared to be going after the quad Axel that only he has ever landed in competition and had to bail out of it.
Malinin recovered to land his quad Lutz before his problems really began.
He only doubled a planned quad loop, throwing his timing off. He fell on a quad Lutz, preventing him from doing the second half of the quad Lutz-triple toe loop combination. And in his final jumping pass, which was supposed to be a high-scoring quad Salchow-triple Axel combination, Malinin only could muster a double Salchow — and he fell on that.
“He never messes up,” Italy’s Daniel Grassl said, “so, obviously, we’re all a little surprised by how it went.”
By the time the music stopped, Malinin was left trying to mask his sorrow for a crowd that included Nathan Chen, the 2022 Olympic champion, along with seven-time Olympic gold medal gymnast Simone Biles, actor Jeff Goldblum, and his wife, Emilie.
“I knew that I could not have necessarily a perfect program and still manage to have a good skate. But just really, something felt off,” Malinin said, “and I don’t know what it was, specifically. I’m still trying to understand what that was.”
Shaidorov seemed just as shocked as everyone as the realization hit that he had won the gold medal.
He was only in sixth after the short program and an afterthought as the night began. But the world silver medalist, known for high-flying jumps but maddening inconsistency, delivered the performance of his life, landing five quads in a technically flawless program.
“It was my goal,” Shaidorov said simply, when asked about the gold medal. “It’s why I wake up and go to training. That’s it.”
Mikhail Shaidorov of Kazakhstan (right) reacts in the kiss and cry after his free skate on Friday.
If you’ve watched any of the Winter Olympics so far, even just a little, you’ve likely heard about Ilia Malinin.
The 21-year-old figure skater from Fairfax, Va., is no doubt among the biggest superstars of these Games. Each time he has gotten on the ice, he has commanded the spotlight — and delivered.
First, it was clinching gold for the United States in the team event with the next-to-last free skate of the competition. Then, when the men’s individual event started, he easily topped the field in the short program on Tuesday.
Now comes the free skate on Friday, and the expectations will be as big as the roars the “Quad God” gets for his breathtaking moves. If he delivers as expected, Malinin will officially arrive as a superstar.
Coverage of the free skate event starts at 1 p.m. on USA Network, then shifts to NBC at 3:05 p.m. Malinin will go last, so expect plenty of hype and buildup.
Elsewhere around the Games on Friday, the U.S. women’s ice hockey team plays Italy at 3:10 p.m. on USA Network. If you’re up early, the Sweden-Finland men’s hockey game is a classic and star-studded rivalry. The puck drops at 6:10 a.m. on Peacock.
If you want to check something different from the usual, there’s speedskating’s men’s 10,000-meter race at 10:30 a.m. on USA. It’s the longest race of any speedskating competition. American Casey Dawson is in the 12-competitor field, and Norway’s Sander Eitrem will be going for a gold medal double after winning the 5,000.
How to watch the Olympics on TV and stream online
NBC’s TV coverage will have live events from noon to 5 p.m. Philadelphia time on weekdays and starting in the mornings on the weekends. There’s a six-hour time difference between Italy and here. The traditional prime-time coverage will have highlights of the day and storytelling features.
The Flyers’ Rasmus Ristolainen (left) playing for Finland against Slovakia in the teams’ Olympic opener in Milan.
As far as the TV channels, the Olympics are airing on NBC, USA, CNBC, and NBCSN. Spanish coverage can be found on Telemundo and Universo.
NBCSN is carrying the Gold Zone whip-around show that was so popular during the Summer Olympics in 2024, with hosts including Scott Hanson of NFL RedZone. It used to be just on Peacock, NBC’s online streaming service, but now is on TV, too.
Every event is available to stream live on NBCOlympics.com and the NBC Sports app. You’ll have to log in with your pay-TV provider, whether cable, satellite, or streaming platforms including YouTube TV, FuboTV, and Sling TV.
On Peacock, the events are on the platform’s premium subscription tier, which starts at $10.99 per month or $109.99 per year.
NHL players are playing in the Winter Olympics for the first time in 12 years, going back to the 2014 Sochi Games. The United States will open Group C play at the Milan Cortina Olympics on Thursday against Latvia. Live coverage is scheduled to begin at 3:10 p.m. Philadelphia time (USA Network).
Because of that 12-year gap, forced by scheduling issues and the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of NHL All-Stars will be making their Olympic debuts for Team USA. Among them are Auston Matthews (Toronto Maple Leafs), Jack Hughes (New Jersey Devils), and Jack Eichel (Vegas Golden Knights).
After Latvia, the U.S. will face Denmark and Germany in Group C games. Out of 12 teams, the top four (three group winners and the best second-place team) will advance to the quarterfinals. Then eight teams will face off in qualification games to fill the remaining four quarterfinal spots.
Here’s the full U.S. men’s hockey schedule:
Thursday: Latvia vs. U.S., 3:10 p.m.
Saturday: U.S. vs. Denmark, 3:10 p.m.
Sunday: U.S. vs. Germany, 3:10 p.m.
Tuesday: Qualification playoff (if necessary)
Wednesday: Quarterfinals
Friday, Feb. 20: Semifinals
Saturday, Feb. 21: Bronze medal game
Sunday, Feb. 22: Gold medal game
Three Flyers players are competing in the Olympics for other countries — Travis Sanheim (Canada), Rasmus Ristolainen (Finland), and Dan Vladar (Czechia).
Princeton grad Chloe Kim goes for Olympic three-peat
Chloe Kim of the United States during women’s snowboarding halfpipe qualifications on Wednesday.
U.S. snowboarder and Princeton grad Chloe Kim is hoping to join elite Olympic company Thursday, going for her third straight gold medal in the halfpipe competition.
The halfpipe finals begin at 1:30 p.m. and will air live on NBC.
Kim is looking to become the first snowboarder to win three straight Olympic gold medals, a feat she would accomplish while still recovering from a torn labrum in her shoulder she suffered last month.
“Honestly, I’m just happy to be here because for a little bit a couple months ago, it wasn’t looking too certain,” Kim said after Wednesday’s qualifier.
She will be joined in the halfpipe final by American teammates Maddie Mastro and Bea Kim.
Other Olympics events to catch Thursday
Speedskating: Julie Letai and Kristen Santos-Griswold will attempt to become the first Americans to win gold in the 500-meter short track since 2010. The event will air live on NBC beginning at 2:15 p.m.
Other gold medal events: Women’s super-G (5:30 a.m.), men’s moguls (6:15 a.m.), women’s speedskating, 5,000 meters (10:30 a.m.), luge team relay (12:30 p.m.), men’s short-track speedskating (3:43 p.m.)
How to watch the Olympics on TV and stream online
NBC’s TV coverage will have live events from noon to 5 p.m. Philadelphia time on weekdays and starting in the mornings on the weekends. There’s a six-hour time difference between Italy and here. The traditional prime-time coverage will have highlights of the day and storytelling features.
As far as the TV channels, the Olympics are airing on NBC, USA, CNBC, and NBCSN. Spanish coverage can be found on Telemundo and Universo.
NBCSN is carrying the Gold Zone whip-around show that was so popular during the Summer Olympics in 2024, with hosts including Scott Hanson of NFL RedZone. It used to be just on Peacock, NBC’s online streaming service, but now is on TV, too.
Every event is available to stream live on NBCOlympics.com and the NBC Sports app. You’ll have to log in with your pay-TV provider, whether cable, satellite, or streaming platforms including YouTube TV, FuboTV, and Sling TV.
On Peacock, the events are on the platform’s premium subscription tier, which starts at $10.99 per month or $109.99 per year.
As a general rule, our schedules include all live broadcasts on TV, but not tape-delayed broadcasts on cable channels. We’ll let you know what’s on NBC’s broadcasts, whether they’re live or not.
NBC
Noon: Freestyle skiing — Men’s moguls final (tape-delayed)
12:30 p.m.: Luge — Team relay
1:30 p.m.: Snowboarding — Women’s halfpipe final
2:15 p.m.: Speedskating — Men’s 1,000 meter short track, women’s 500 meter short track
Two United States Olympic stars will make their debut at the Milan Cortina Winter Games on Wednesday.
Jordan Stolz, the American speedskating phenom whose dominance has been compared to Michael Phelps, is set to compete in the men’s 1,000-meter race at 12:30 p.m. Philadelphia time on NBC.
Stolz, 21, enters the race as the gold medal favorite, and is expected to be among the top competitors in the 500, 1,500, and mass start, a long-track race in which everyone starts together and the top three finishers make the podium.
The Wisconsin native holds the world record in the 1,000-meter race (1:05.37), which he set in 2024, and plans to wear the same pair of skates when he takes the ice at the Milano Speed Skating Stadium.
United States snowboarder Chloe Kim is trying for her third straight women’s halfpipe gold medal.
More than 140 miles to the north, U.S. snowboarder and Princeton grad Chloe Kim continued her quest for a third straight Olympic gold medal by making it through the halfpipe qualifiers early Wednesday morning.
The halfpipe finals begin Thursday at 1:30 p.m.
Figure skating duo Madison Chock and Evan Bates, who already won a gold medal in the team event, will compete in the free dance event beginning at 1:15 p.m. on USA Network. They sit in second place behind the French team of Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron.
NBC’s TV coverage will have live events from noon to 5 p.m. Philadelphia time on weekdays and starting in the mornings on the weekends. There’s a six-hour time difference from Italy and here. The traditional prime-time coverage will have highlights of the day and storytelling features.
As far as the TV channels, the Olympics are airing on NBC, USA, CNBC, and NBCSN. Spanish coverage can be found on Telemundo and Universo.
NBCSN is carrying the Gold Zone whip-around show that was so popular during the Summer Olympics in 2024, with hosts including Scott Hanson of NFL RedZone. It used to be just on Peacock, NBC’s online streaming service, but now is on TV, too.
Every event is available to stream live on NBCOlympics.com and the NBC Sports app. You’ll have to log in with your pay-TV provider, whether cable, satellite, or streaming platforms including YouTube TV, FuboTV, and Sling TV.
On Peacock, the events are on the platform’s premium subscription tier, which starts at $10.99 per month or $109.99 per year.
As a general rule, our schedules include all live broadcasts on TV, but not tape-delayed broadcasts on cable channels. We’ll let you know what’s on NBC’s broadcasts, whether they’re live or not.
NBC
Noon: Freestyle skiing — women’s moguls final (tape-delayed)
