Story byKelly O'GradyWed, February 18, 2026 at 2:44 AM UTC·2 min readWomen's figure skating got underway Tuesday at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Games, and while there had been high hopes for Team USA, early missteps and disappointing scores have placed medal hopes mostly on the skates of Alysa Liu. Before the event got going, former world champion and Olympic gold medal winner Kristi Yamaguchi was optimistic about the chances of a medal for an American woman — one hasn't won an individual Olympic skating medal in two decades. She also told CBS News it's "imperative" to have a clean short program. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementLiu, Amber Glenn and Isabeau Levito — the trio of skaters collectively known as the "Blade Angels" — stepped onto Olympic ice for the individual short program on Tuesday. Alysa Liu, Amber Glenn and Isabeau Levito pose for a portrait after making the United States Figure Skating Olympic Team. / Credit: Matthew Stockman / Getty ImagesBut unfortunately for Glenn, she couldn't complete her triple loop — a costly mistake that dropped her into 13th place in the standings after the short program.
