MILAN (AP) — Ilia Malinin's quest for Olympic figure skating gold might not be so easy after all. Same goes for his American team. Yuma Kagiyama landed a pair of near-perfect quads, one in combination with a triple toe loop,

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.

Ahead of the start of the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics, a national figure skating judge with more than 40 years of experience shared why she's particularly excited about this year's team.

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.

Team USA will be looking to repeat their gold medal performance from the 2022 Olympics and challenge for individual medals as well

From death spiral to twizzle, you might not be familiar with these figure skating terms. Brush up on your sports jargon this Winter Olympics.