Andrew Torgashev’s clean-eating reset fuels personal-best Olympic debut
Andrew Torgashev opened his first Olympic Games with the sharpest short program of his career, posting a personal-best 88. 94 on Tuesday, Feb. 10 (ET) in Milan and advancing to the men’s free skate. The 24-year-old American briefly sat atop the standings after his skate, the product of a season course-correction that extended from the rink to his dinner plate.
A personal best on the sport’s biggest stage
Skating with a swagger that matched his rock-infused program, Torgashev hit the ice at Milano Ice Skating Arena and seized the moment. The score didn’t hold as the day unfolded, but it was more than enough to push him through to Friday’s free skate (ET). For an athlete who spent much of the fall searching for form, the number and the performance signaled a timely peak.
“I chose to embrace the rock and roll of my program, ” he said after the skate. “I always feel like I want to be a rock star on the stage, like breaking the guitar, like having the time of my life, so I was able to do that and it’s pretty sick. ”
From late-night takeout to lean fuel
Torgashev credits a disciplined nutrition reset for how light and fluid he felt in Milan. Long days at the rink had turned late nights into a conveyor belt of delivered meals — the kind that add up in calories and don’t always replenish. In the lead-up to the Games, he cut the habit and shifted to lean proteins, vegetables, and energy-dense whole foods, turning recovery from an afterthought into a plan.
“I’m learning that it helps a lot to eat cleaner and be skinny, to jump and jump easily and have better consistency, ” he said. “The skinnier you are, the easier it is, so I’m in great shape. ”
He joked that with his mom keeping watch, the delivery apps were off limits — and the results showed. “I was at the rink so long, from like 9 to 6 every day, that afterwards I can get lazy at times and anytime you eat out consistently, even if you’re trying to be healthy, the calories just add up and especially at night, it’s just not good. It was everything — pizza, Panda Express, tacos. ”
Tuesday’s performance didn’t end the cravings entirely. He allowed that a celebratory slice would be in order before re-centering for the free skate.
Nerves, then muscle memory
The stage amplified everything, from atmosphere to adrenaline. Torgashev admitted the waiting minutes before his music started were the toughest. “I was shaking, I was like, why did I wish this for myself, ” he said. But once he pushed off, training and repetition took the wheel. “I have so much muscle memory with this program and with these elements that no matter how much I doubt myself, I hope it will always pull through now. ”
Even with a wobbly warm-up touch — “The first toe that I did out there before the music started, it was so wonky, I was not confident for the quad” — he trusted the run-throughs he has been stacking in Milan. “I’ve done this program every single day at this quality since I’ve been here so I have the reps and it’s just about executing in the moment so I’m glad I did that. ”
Course correction after a choppy fall
The performance in Milan capped a turnaround that began after a rocky Grand Prix campaign where top-five finishes proved elusive. Torgashev reset, sharpened the free skate, and surged to second at nationals, a result that steadied his season and restored momentum at exactly the right time. At 5-foot-7 and in the best condition he says he’s been since his teens, he looked every bit the part on Tuesday.
The key difference now: decisions made well before his blades touch the ice. From meal prep to recovery windows, Torgashev has built a routine that trims noise and maximizes output — a veteran approach from a first-time Olympian.
All-in for Friday
With a clean slate and a spot secured in the free skate, Torgashev’s focus turns to carrying the same verve and precision into the final segment. He promised he’d keep the energy high when the stakes rise again. As he put it with a grin, “just know I’m going to go ham. ”
Between the disciplined fuel, the muscle memory, and the new personal best on the board, Andrew Torgashev arrives at the weekend with confidence — and the look and feel of an athlete who found the right balance at the right time.
