What to watch for: Austria’s Anna Gasser is the two-time defending Olympic gold medalist, but she hurt her shoulder surfing during the summer and has been rehabbing with the hope of making it three straight. New Zealand’s Zoi Sadowski-Synnott, the 2022 big air silver medalist and also a slopestyle star, is another favorite.

Team USA made an immediate impact on the first full day of competition at the 2026 Winter Olympics, headlined by another one-sided performance from the women's hockey team and a five-point lead in figure skating's team event that sets up a pivotal Sunday.

Figure skating has long been a staple of the Winter Games program. From the early days of elegant skating, the high-flying, acrobatic competition of today, fans are consistently wowed by the ability of athletes who lay it all on the line for their country and Olympic glory.

The 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, have arrived as the top figure skaters in the world are set to compete for their respective nations on the global stage.

These 16 athletes will be showing off their skills and athleticism on the ice in hopes of landing a place on the podium at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.

Olympic figure skating is often seems to take athletes to the very edge of perfection, but even the greatest stumble and fall. How do they pull themselves together again on the biggest world stage? Toughness,