Team USA Clinches Figure Skating Team Gold as Olympics Finale Delivers Drama

Team USA successfully defended their Olympic figure skating team event title on Sunday at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, holding off a determined challenge from Japan to claim gold in the event's dramatic conclusion. The Americans finished with 78 points, narrowly edging Japan's 75 points, while Italy claimed bronze with 71 points in front of their enthusiastic home crowd at the Forum di Milano. The victory marks the second consecutive Olympic gold medal in the team event for the United States, cementing their status as the world's premier figure skating nation.

The Americans entered Sunday's final day of competition with a slim five-point lead over Japan, setting up a thrilling finale that featured the pairs free skate, women's free skate, and men's free skate. Madison Chock and Evan Bates provided crucial points for Team USA throughout the competition, posting a world-best score in the ice dance free dance on Saturday with a mesmerizing performance that earned them 20 points and extended the U.S. lead. Their season's best score came nearly 10 points ahead of Italy's Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri, demonstrating the dominance that has made them one of the sport's elite partnerships.

The men's competition provided both triumph and tension for the American squad. While Ilia Malinin, known as the "Quad God" for his technical prowess, delivered a second-place finish in the men's short program behind Japan's Yuma Kagiyama in an Olympic upset, he bounced back in the free skate to help secure crucial points for the team. Despite the early setback, Malinin's overall contribution proved vital in maintaining the U.S. advantage over their closest rivals. The women's events featured strong performances from Alysa Liu, whose early routines helped stake the Americans to their initial lead in the competition.

Japan mounted a fierce challenge throughout the week, led by pairs skaters Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara, who claimed first place in the pairs qualifiers and continued their excellent form through the free skate. Kagiyama's stunning victory over Malinin in the men's short program energized the Japanese team and kept them within striking distance heading into the final day. The Japanese team's depth across all four disciplines made them formidable opponents, but ultimately they fell just three points short of overtaking the Americans for gold.

Italy's bronze medal performance electrified the home crowd throughout the competition. Skating in front of passionate supporters at the Forum di Milano, the Italian team benefited from exceptional performances by Guignard and Fabbri in ice dance, as well as strong showings from Niccolo Macii and Sara Conti in pairs, who finished third in the pairs qualifiers. The bronze medal represents Italy's best-ever finish in the Olympic figure skating team event and provided an early highlight for the host nation at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Games.

The team event, which has become a marquee attraction since its Olympic debut in 2014, showcases the depth and versatility of each nation's figure skating program. The format requires countries to field competitive entries across all four disciplines—men's singles, women's singles, pairs, and ice dance—with points awarded based on placement in each segment. For Team USA, this gold medal validates years of investment in developing world-class talent across all skating disciplines and sets a powerful tone for the individual competitions that will unfold over the coming week. The victory also marks the United States' continued dominance in Olympic figure skating, adding another chapter to the nation's storied history in the sport.