2026 Oympics: Asian American women help US figure skating team to gold medal

US SKATING

US figure skaters in the team competition include, from left: Evan Bates, Madison Chock, Ilia Malinin, Alyssa Liu, Ilia Malinin, Amber Glenn, Elie Kam and Danny O'Shea.

In a historic display of talent and grit, three Asian American women — Alysa Liu, Madison Chock, and Ellie Kam — anchored Team USA to a second consecutive Olympic gold medal in the figure skating team event.

The victory at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan wasn't just a win; it was a testament to the depth of Asian American excellence on the ice, as these athletes delivered under immense pressure to fend off a fierce challenge from Japan.

• Alysa Liu: Returning to the Olympic stage as the reigning world champion, Liu set the tone early by placing second in the women’s short program, securing 9 critical points.

• Madison Chock: Alongside partner Evan Bates, Chock dominated the ice dance segments, winning both the rhythm and free dance to lock in a perfect 20 points for Team USA.

• Ellie Kam: Making her Olympic debut, Kam and partner Danny O'Shea delivered a clean free skate to finish fourth, providing the 7 points that ultimately kept the US tied with Japan heading into the final event.

The 2026 Winter Olympic figure skating competitions are taking place at the Milano Ice Skating Arena (also known as the Mediolanum Forum) in Assago, a suburb of Milan, Italy.

"I was so proud of Ilia and everybody on our team," Danny O'Shea, US team captain for the team event, said. "It took every single point for us to do it today, and at the end of the day, that's what it takes. The team event is something special because it really does bring everyone together to support each other, build each other up and find ways to get one more point."

It is the second straight gold medal for the US team. It was awarded  first place in 2022 after the initial first-place Russian skaters were disqualified after it was found using performance-enhancing drugs.

The 2026 event proved that the figure skating competition is going to be stiff with Japan and the US trading first and second place throughout the event.

The gold was finally secured by  two-time world champion Ilia Malinin, whose final free skate broke a 68-68 tie, giving the US a 69-68 victory over second-place Japan. Host country Italy earned third place.

"I feel happy. I'm so glad to be here," said Malinin, 21, skating in his first Olympics. "This Olympic movement, this Olympic experience was a once-in-a-lifetime moment for me, so just being able to go out there, that's what I'm grateful for."

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news, views and chismis from an AANHPI perspective, follow me on Threads, on X, BlueSky or at the blog Views From the Edge. 

Awkwafina, Henry Golding, Chanel Miller make Time's list of most influential people

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Time Magazine's top 100 list, Time 100 Next, that spotlights 100 rising stars who are shaping the future of business, entertainment, sports, politics, science, health and more includes 21 people of Asian descent from actress Awkwafina to 23-year old physicist Yuen Cao.

Among the Asian Americans named in the Time 100 Next list are actress Awkwafina of The Farewell, Bowen Yang of Saturday Night Live and Chanel Miller, a woman who went public about being sexually assaulted on the Stanford campus.

About Awkwafina, Sandra Oh wrote “I cannot express how pleased I am to see her meteoric rise. I’m not surprised because she is a complete original. There are so many things I can point to: Her timing. Her beautiful, melancholic face. And her unforgettable voice.”

Bowen Yang has been described as a potential breakout star on SNL. UPROXX wrote “he’s managed to accomplish some nearly impossible feats in his short time in front of the camera. He’s given us polished impersonations of world leaders and presidential candidates, he’s perfectly encapsulated the kind of woke bro who aspires to be a SoulCycle instructor, and he’s introduced us to China’s “Trade Daddy.”

Chanel Miller has been praised for her courage for coming forward publicly about being sexually assaulted on the Stanford campus. Known only as Emily Doe during the trial of Brock Turner, her book "Know My Name" has been her coming out. Goodreads says with her book, she “reclaims her identity to tell her story of trauma, transcendence, and the power of words… But her struggles with isolation and shame during the aftermath and the trial reveal the oppression victims face in even the best-case scenarios.”

Amanda Nguyen is a survivor of rape who has turned her horrendous experience into a force for positive change. The group she founded, Rise, has passed 25 state and federal laws, protecting DNA evidence gathered from rape kits that have been credited with numerous prosecutions. She is also a 2018 Nobel Prize nominee.

Vijay Gupta uses his musical talents to help the homeless. He quit the Los Angeles Philharmonic where he worked as a violinist to teach music at homeless shelters and prisons. He is also a MacArthur Genius Fellow.

Varshini Prakash serves as executive director of the Sunrise Movement. Washington Governor Jay Inslee called her and her organization “some of the greatest sources for hope in our fight against the climate crisis.”

Alyssa Liu is a rising star in the ice skating world. At age 13, she became the youngest US Women’s Figure Skating champion in the world. Michelle Kwan said her quad lux “is pushing the technical envelope, and there’s no slowing down.”

Edward Leung was arrested last year and even though he's in jail, the 28-year-oldhas become the spiritual leader of the Hong Kong's months-long unrest. He coined the protestor's favorite chant, “Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times.”

Dutee Chand  in July became the first Indian sprinter to win the 100-m at the World University Games. This year, she became the first openly gay athlete in India. Her next goal is the 2020 Olympics.

Roya Rahmani is Afghanistan's first female envoy to the U.S. in 2018. Her ambassadorial appointment was also a message to the Taliban, of which she says, "are not our representatives.” Ending the war “should be decided by the people who are most affected by this process.”

Shinjiro Koizumi, Japan's current Environmental Minister, is only 28-years old but he's poised to become the country's next Prime Minister when Shinzo Abe steps down.

Nite Yun is a Cambodian American “changing America’s relationship to Cambodia, one exquisite dish at a time,” said Samin Nosrat, a chef, author and host of Netflix’s Salt Fat Acid Heat. Her restaurant in Oakland, CA, Nyum Bai, has quickly made a name for itself a year after opening.

Blackpink is K-po'ss next big thing.

Blackpink became the first K-pop girl group to perform at Coachella. While BTS is better known, the four-woman group has 31-million fiercely loyal social media followers. The group’s goal, they say, is to make music that helps listeners gain “confidence and boldness.”

Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit's year-old Future Forward Party gained 17% of Thailand's Parliament. The billionaire scion of a car-parts empire has energized young Thais who are eagar to loosen the grip of the country's military rulers.

Mei Mei Hu is working on a cure for Alzheimer’s and other brain diseases. Her company United Neuroscience is working on a vaccine to help the immune system produce antibodies to fight off these degenerative diseases.

Henry Golding catapulted onto the world stage with Crazy Rich Asians. He is now attained leading man status, especially noteworthy for Asian males. Michelle Yeoh calls him the perfect son.

Lilly Singh has turned her YouTube fame into her own show on NBC’s late night line up. As Jimmy Fallon wrote, ” You don’t rack up millions of fans all over the world without being someone people can relate to.”

Yuen Cao, a 23-year old physicist, investigating what happens when two layers of graphene—a crystalline form of carbon, each just one atom thick—are laid atop each other. He discovered that if you twist the sheet, it forms great insulation. Twist it another way, it becomes an electricity superconductor with zero resistance.

Varun Sivaram, an energy innovator, he is chief technology officer of ReNew Power, India’s largest renewable-energy company, where he works to accelerate the expansion of renewables in a country critical to global efforts to stem climate change.

Kotchakorn Voraakhom, a landscape architect who designed Bangkok's first public park in a decade which is capable of absorbing one-million gallons of water to help control the flooding that inundates the city every year. She is in the process of designing a larger park that will include Asia's largest green roof 

Jayathma Wickramanayake, a Sri Lankan, was appointed the United Nations’ Envoy on Youth in 2017—and the U.N. announced Youth 2030, a strategy to involve young people in U.N. initiatives and strengthen the organization’s focus on their needs, including sustainable development and economic empowerment. “

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