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≡ U.S. CHAMPIONSHIPS ≡
The 2026 U.S. Figure Skating National Championships concluded in St. Louis, Missouri on Saturday, with all three U.S. World Champions performing strongly, but only two actually winning.
The men’s favorite, Ilia Malinin, was looking for a fourth straight U.S. championship and completely overwhelmed the field in the Short Program on Thursday, scoring a sensational 115.10 points, to 89.26 for 2020 bronzer Tomoki Hiwatashi and 88.49 for 2015 national champ Jason Brown. It’s the second-highest U.S. Champs score ever, behind Nathan Chen’s 115.39 in 2022.
Malinin’s program started with a quadruple flip and included a perfectly-executed quad Lutz and triple Toe Loop combination that earned extra credit, plus a backflip and his “Raspberry Twist.” He dressed as the character “Toothless” from “How to Train Your Dragon” and in a pre-planned stunt, fans threw stuffed “Toothless” dolls – provided by U.S. Figure Skating and NBC – onto the ice, reminiscent of the “Winnie the Pooh” plush toys that followed performances by Japanese Olympic champ Yuzuru Hanyu.
Malinin, 21, said afterwards that he didn’t know about the stunt.
For Saturday’s Free Skate, 11th-place Jimmy Ma brought the house down, incorporating the Village People’s “Y.M.C.A” into his routine, and he moved into the lead at 225.71 with 10 skaters left. He was quickly passed, but not forgotten.
Contender Andrew Torgashev, second last year, was fifth in the Short Program, but sparkled with a spirited program that roused the crowd and scored 182.63 to total 267.62 and take the lead. Next was Maxim Naumov, fourth in 2025, who lost his parents in the tragic crash of AA 5342 last January. He skated with tremendous emotion, but had technical imperfections and scored 163.44 for a total of 249.16 for second place.
Fan favorite Brown, 31, trying for a third Olympic Games, entered in third place. He fell on his first triple Axel, and fell again late in the program and his artistry was dramatic; the score was only 139.03 and a total of 227.52, in sixth.
Hiwatashi had a clear shot at the Milan team and gave a spirited performance that drained him emotionally and had the crowd cheering, but that also had small errors and scored 157.98 and 247.24 in total, leaving him fourth. Naumov was assured of a top-three finish for the first time.
Then came Milanin, needing only 152.53 points to win the title. He included “only” three quad jumps, but offered artistry beyond his amazing athletic feats – including another backflip – and the stuffed animals rained down again (no dragons, though).
He won the Free Skate at 209.78 for a winning total of 324.88 and his fourth title in a row. He remains the strong favorite for an Olympic gold next month. It’s his fifth-highest score ever.
Torgashev and Naumov finished 2-3 and look like possible Olympians, with the decision due on Sunday.
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The Ice Dance final was another showcase, for World Champions Madison Chock and Evan Bates, well in front after the Rhythm Dance, 91.70 to 85.98 for Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik – twice fourth in the prior three years – with two-time runner-ups Caroline Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko third at 83.29.
In the Free Dance final session on Saturday, 2023 runners-up Caroline Green and Michael Parsons performed elegantly to score 121.50 and take the lead at 202.05, their fourth-best score ever. Carreira and Ponomarkenko topped that with a sensuous performance, scoring 123.66 and a 206.95 total for the lead, their career no. 3 score.
Zingas, who transitioned from Singles to Ice Dance only in 2022, and Kolesnik offered a highly athletic and expressive routine that drew the stuffed animals to the ice and scored 127.67 and a total of 213.65 – by far their best ever – to take the lead. Chock and Bates performed an intricate Flamenco-themed program that had the crowd on their feet and more toys on the ice. The Free Dance score was 137.12 and the total was 228.87, the 13th time they have surpassed 220 points.
Chock and Bates won their fifth U.S. title in a row and seventh all-time, going back to 2015. They are the sixth to win five straight American championships; the last were Meryl Davis and Charlie White, who won a record six straight from 2009-14. But only Chock and Bates have won seven.
Maia and Alex Shibutani, two-time U.S. champions and the 2018 Olympic bronze winners, came back this season and finished in ninth place overall at 173.17.
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The women’s championship on Friday had two-time defending champion Amber Glenn leading 2025 World Champion Alysia Liu by 83.05 to 81.11 going into the Free Skate, and Glenn performed beautifully under pressure as the final skater, scoring 150.50 to win the event, ahead of 2023 national champion Isabeau Levito (148.73) and Liu (147.80), with two-time U.S. winner Bradie Tennell fourth (141.95).
All three had six triples in their program, but Glenn had the top Technical Element and Program Composition (artistic) scores and won the title with 233.55 points to 228.91 for Liu and 224.45 for Levito. Tennell was well back in fourth at 211.48. The top three are expected to be named to the U.S. and will be a formidable entry in both the individual and team events.
For Glenn, her third title in a row was the first time since Michelle Kwan’s eight straight from 1998-2005, and she is the 15th U.S. woman to win at least three straight.
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In Pairs, defending champions Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov were decisive winners, winning both the Short Program and Free Skate and piling up 207.71 points, their best score ever. Their path to the Olympic Winter Games, however, is clouded by Efimova’s status as not yet receiving a U.S. passport, required as proof of citizenship in order to be on the American team. Born in Finland in 1999, she skated for Russia from 2015-20, then for Germany from 2021-23, before coming to the U.S. She married Mitrofanov in 2024.
Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea were clear in second, moving up from third after the Short Program and scoring a total of 197.12. They have placed 3-1-3-2 in the last four nationals. Third-place Katie McBeath and Daniil Parkman were fifth in the Short Program and fourth in the Free Skate, but that moved them up to third overall at 187.45. Parkman, born in Russia and partnered with McBeath since 2023 also does not have U.S. citizenship.
So, fourth-placers Emily Chan and Spencer Howe (186.52), second in 2023, may be in line for selection, or possibly fifth-place Audrey Shin and Balazs Nagy, just behind in fifth at 185.10, as the U.S. has two spots in this event in Milan.
The U.S. Figure Skating Association will announce its Olympic nominees on Sunday at 2 p.m. Eastern, televised by NBC.
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