As the women's singles free skate hits the ice in Milan on Thursday, the Olympic fate of USA figure skating is on the line — and it rests on the shoulders of reigning world champion Alysa Liu.
Liu finished third in Tuesday's short program with a score of 76.59, slightly behind Japan's first and second place finishers Ami Nakai (78.71) and Kaori Sakamoto (77.23).
"I'm really confident in myself, and even if I mess up and fall, that's totally okay, too," Liu said following her short program finish, as the US looks to end a 20-year women's singles medal draught.
Thursday's event also offers Liu's fellow Blade Angels — eighth-place Isabeau Levito and 13th-place Amber Glenn — a chance to right the ship after mixed short program results.
"I wanted to enjoy today, and unfortunately I didn't get to," an emotional Glenn said Tuesday, after a popped triple loop ended her own medal hopes. "So hopefully I can try to find some happiness in the free skate."
"I felt very good out there," said 18-year-old Levito. "I feel very well-trained, so I was able to enjoy the moment."
How to watch Alysa Liu and Team USA in Olympic women's free skate
Liu and her fellow Blade Angels will close out the 2026 Olympic figure skating competition in the women's singles free skate at 1 PM ET on Thursday, airing live on NBC.
Alysa Liu delivered a stellar performance on Tuesday to lead Team USA in the women's figure skating short program. The reigning world champion scored a season-best 76.59 to finish third.
She trails Japan's Ami Nakai (78.71) and Kaori Sakamoto (77.23) heading into Thursday's free skate.
20-year-old Liu landed a difficult triple lutz-triple loop combination, a sequence no other athlete attempted. She set her routine to Laufey's "Promise," earning a standing ovation from the crowd in Milan.
@nbcolympics Alysa Liu was all smiles after her skate! 😀 #WinterOlympics ♬ original sound - NBC Olympics & Paralympics
"I felt super grounded, and I connected with my program on another level compared to the rest of the season," Liu said afterward. "My goal is just to do my programs and share my story."
Unfortunately, the night brought heartbreak for US teammate Amber Glenn. The three-time US champion finished 13th with 67.39 points after bailing out of a triple loop. The jump became an invalid element, resulting in no points awarded.
However, Glenn did successfully land a triple axel earlier in her routine, joining Nakai were the only two skaters to attempt the difficult 3.5-revolution jump. But the missed triple loop cost her seven to eight points, with Glenn ultimately exiting in tears.
"She's gone through so much, and she works so freaking hard," Liu said of her fellow Blade Angel. "I just want her to be happy, that's genuinely all I want."
Team USA's Isabeau Levito finished eighth in her Olympic debut with 70.85 points, with all three US skaters qualifying for Thursday's competition.
The United States is hunting its first women's figure skating medal since Sasha Cohen won silver in 2006, marking a 20-year drought. The last US women's figure skater to win gold was Sarah Hughes in 2002.
US Figure Skating is hoping to make Olympic history this year, naming powerhouse trio Alysa Liu, Amber Glenn, and Isabeau Levito to the official 2026 Winter Games roster on Sunday as Team USA aims to end a 20-year medal drought in Milan next month.
Glenn earned her spot after winning her third-straight national title on Friday, with reigning world champion Liu and 18-year-old 2024 Worlds runner-up Levito chasing her onto the 2026 US Figure Skating Championships podium.
"Just so grateful. That was terrifying," Glenn said after her win. "And I had to skate after two incredible ladies brought down the house."
Liu is the only US women's singles skater returning with Olympic experience — at just 16 years old, she took sixth place in Beijing — but the group's national podium tally adds to Team USA's renewed confidence.
"All we've got to do, is do our job," said 26-year-old Glenn. "I think the US ladies have come so, so far in the last two decades that if all three of us do our jobs in Milan, then more than likely someone's going to be up there [on the Olympic podium]."
How to watch the 2026 Olympic figure skating competition
While the US women will first take the ice in the team competition on February 6th and 8th, the trio will begin contending for individual glory by skating their short programs at 12:45 PM ET on February 17th, airing live on USA Network.
The 2026 Olympic podium will then be finalized in the free skate competition at 1 PM ET on February 19th, with live coverage on NBC.
US women are lighting up the ice, performing record-breaking short programs at the US Figure Skating Championships on Wednesday as the nation's top skaters compete to represent Team USA at the 2026 Winter Olympics in February.
Currently atop the field is 26-year-old Amber Glenn, with the reigning back-to-back national champion posting the highest short program score in event history on Wednesday.
Glenn's 83.05-point performance surpassed the 81.11-point previous record set just minutes before by her 20-year-old teammate, reigning world champion Alysa Liu.
"I think that was one of my most enjoyable experiences competing ever," Glenn said afterwards.
With Liu and Glenn leading the charge, the US is aiming to end a 20-year Olympic medal drought in women's singles figure skating in Milan, Italy, this winter — and Team USA has even more depth on their side.
A full six of the world's Top-17 skaters hail from the US, with 18-year-old Isabeau Levito — who claimed third in Wednesday's short program competition — joining Glenn and Liu in the Top 5.
Team USA can send only three singles skaters to next month's Winter Games, with the national selection committee assessing each athlete's full season — not just their performances at this week's championships — before announcing the Olympic-bound trio on Sunday.
How to watch the 2026 US Figure Skating Championships
The women's singles competition will conclude with Friday's free skate, which kicks off at 3 PM ET before the top skaters in the standings take the ice at 8 PM ET on NBC and Peacock.
The 2026 US Olympic Figure Skating Team will then be announced at 2 PM ET on Sunday, live on NBC.