US Figure Skating Championships: Olympic Qualification Preview
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Ilia Malinin competes during the men’s short program at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in St. Louis.
Stephanie Scarbrough/AP
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Stephanie Scarbrough/AP
The U.S. Figure Skating Championships,the sport’s annual national title event and the final qualifier for next month’s 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortino,are underway this week in St. Louis, Mo.
Midway through the final qualifier competition, the U.S.’s deep field is on display.The championship has already seen record-setting performances in the women’s event and multiple competitors looking to punch their third Olympic ticket.
While the team will be officially announced on Sunday, there’s one spot that’s almost certain: 22-year-old reigning world champion Ilia “quad God” Malinin.
Malinin has been undefeated in every major competition since 2023. He’s the only skater to complete a quadruple axel – a jump once thought to be physically impossible,until Malinin did it.
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a hit with the crowd at the enterprise Center on Thursday night, with a standing ovation before he finished his program with a cartwheel out of his combination spin.
“Every time I perform this program, it’s truly like a love note to the audience,” said Brown.
In fourth place with 85.72 points is Maxim Naumov, who skated an emotional short program to chopin. Namov lost both of his parents - Olympic pair skaters and coaches Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova – in the plane crash that killed 28 members of the U.S. figure skating community three days after last year’s championships, where he earned the pewter medal.
Naumov held a photo of his parents in the kiss-and-cry area after his skate. The photograph showed him skating at 2 years old, held up by his parents.
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Glenn Leads U.S. figure Skating Championships After Short Program
St.Louis – amber glenn delivered a stunning short program on Wednesday, January 7, 2026, earning a score of 83.33 and taking the lead at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships. The event is being held at an undisclosed location in St. Louis.
“I feel ecstatic,” Glenn said following her performance, as reported by the Associated Press.
Alysa Liu currently sits in second place with a score of 81.11. Liu, the 2022 Olympic athlete, returned to competitive skating last season after announcing her retirement following the Beijing Olympics. She performed to “Promise” by Laufey.
Isabeau Levito, the 2023 U.S. champion and 2024 world silver medalist, is in third place. The 18-year-old skater achieved a personal best of 75.75 in her short program.