Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea, the dynamic U.S. figure skating pair, delivered a performance for the ages on February 8, 2026, at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, helping Team USA clinch gold in the fiercely contested team event. With the pressure dialed up and the world watching, the duo stepped onto the Olympic ice determined to turn the page after a rocky short program. And did they ever deliver! Their free skate not only set a personal and season-best score of 135.36 points but also played a pivotal role in securing Team USA’s second consecutive Olympic team gold.
Heading into the final day of the team competition, the stakes couldn’t have been higher. Team USA held a slender five-point lead, with Japan, Georgia, and Italy breathing down their necks. As NBC’s Terry Gannon observed, "The U.S. with a five-point lead, but [pairs] is not their strong suit." The pressure was palpable, especially for Kam and O’Shea, who had suffered a fall in the pairs’ short program just two days prior. Their initial stumble dropped them to fifth place in that segment, casting doubt on their ability to rebound when it mattered most.
But Kam and O’Shea are nothing if not resilient. As the pairs free skate kicked off at 1:30 p.m. EST, they opened with a crisp triple twist. "Beautiful start there with that triple twist," commentator and former Olympian Tara Lipinski enthused. The energy in the arena surged as they followed with a clean side-by-side triple salchow-double axel combination, setting a confident tone early in the program. All eyes then shifted to the throws—elements that had haunted them throughout practice. Johnny Weir, another former Olympian turned commentator, explained, "The most difficult element for this team is the throws," noting their struggles in the lead-up to the event.
Yet under Olympic pressure, Kam and O’Shea rose to the occasion. They nailed their first throw, a triple lutz, drawing an emphatic "Beautiful!" from Weir. Moments later, they powered through a throw triple loop—an element that had caused Kam to fall in the short program. This time, she landed it cleanly. Weir captured the moment: "This is their chance at an Olympic medal, and they’re skating like they’re hungry for gold." Lipinski, barely able to contain her excitement, exclaimed, "I haven’t seen them skate this well in a long time."
The duo’s lifts were nothing short of spectacular, earning a standing ovation from the crowd. "In pairs, lifts are king. This is one of the most spectacular lifts," Weir commented, with Lipinski adding, "He is one of the best lifters in the world," in reference to O’Shea’s renowned strength. As their program drew to a close, the superlatives kept coming. Gannon declared, "Forget about meeting expectations, they just exceeded them." Lipinski went further: "I haven’t seen them skate like that ever… they were unstoppable." Weir summed up the sentiment, "That was the most fantastic skate I’ve seen from them, absolutely stunning from start to finish."
Kam and O’Shea’s flawless execution earned them fourth place in the pairs segment, just 1.3 points shy of the podium. Their performance netted Team USA seven critical points, keeping the Americans atop the leaderboard with 51 points—a narrow two-point advantage over Japan as the competition moved to the women’s singles.
Reflecting on their skate, Kam said, "We felt like we were finally working together again, the nerves were gone…we were able to just lock in and focus on us as a team." O’Shea, visibly moved, added, "It means everything, those moments that you’ve dreamed of since you were a little kid…we know the team is counting on us to get some points today, so I’m just overwhelmed with emotion. Pure joy today." Their sense of relief and pride was palpable, especially after the emotional rollercoaster of their earlier fall. Kam described the aftermath: "I wanted to cry, but I couldn't because I was so happy, so then we both ended up screaming at each other."
The competition, however, was far from over. Amber Glenn took the ice for the women’s singles free skate, finishing third and earning enough points to tie Team USA and Japan at 59 apiece. The tension in the arena was electric—everything now hinged on the men’s singles free skate.
Enter Ilia Malinin, the American phenom known as the "Quad God." Malinin’s performance was nothing short of jaw-dropping, earning a massive 200.03 points and besting Japan’s Shun Sato. His victory clinched the gold medal for Team USA in the team event, capping a dramatic day of Olympic figure skating.
As the results were announced, Kam and O’Shea hugged each other tightly before celebrating with teammates Alysa Liu and Amber Glenn. Their coach, Drew Meekins, joined in the jubilation from rinkside. The crowd’s energy was infectious, and the American skaters soaked in every moment.
It’s worth noting the technical mastery Kam and O’Shea showcased in their free skate. The program included a triple twist lift, triple toeloop, triple salchow-double axel sequence, throw triple lutz, backward outside death spiral, throw triple loop, three distinct lifts (Group 5 Reverse Lasso, Group 4, and Group 5 Axel Lasso), a pair combination spin, a choreographic sequence, and more. Every element was executed with precision and flair, underscoring just how far this pair has come since joining forces four years ago in Colorado Springs.
Their journey to this golden moment has not been without adversity. After a fall in the short program and a challenging six-minute warm-up—where both skaters suffered minor slips—Kam and O’Shea regrouped and delivered when it counted most. "Ever since that practice, we already felt more together," Kam explained. "It felt like a normal competition. It's not such a big deal anymore. Ice is just ice, and that's definitely helped everything, mentally and physically."
For Team USA, the gold medal in the team event is a testament to both individual brilliance and collective resilience. From Kam and O’Shea’s redemption skate to Malinin’s electrifying finish, every member played a part in this triumph. The Americans have now secured back-to-back Olympic team golds, proving their mettle on the sport’s biggest stage.
With the dust settled and the medals awarded, Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea stand as Olympic champions—symbols of perseverance, teamwork, and the sheer joy of skating under the world’s brightest lights.