Olympic pairs at Milan: emily chan and Spencer Akira Howe advance after steady short program
Overview
MILAN — For U. S. pairs competitors Emily Chan and Spencer Akira Howe, Sunday’s short program at Milano Ice Skating Arena was both a relief and a reminder of how opportunity and preparation can align. Representing the Skating Club of Boston, the pair finished ninth in the short program and will skate their free skate on Monday alongside fellow Americans Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea.
Short program and reaction
Skating to "Nyah" by CH2, Chan and Howe delivered a largely clean performance with a single minor error: Chan’s hand briefly touched the ice on the throw triple loop, an issue that did not draw deductions. The score reflected a significant improvement from their performance at the U. S. championships; reported a short program score of 70. 06, more than 10 points higher than what they posted a month earlier.
“It was a bit of a sigh of relief, ” Chan said after the skate, adding that the pair felt they had been together throughout the program and were “on the top of the mountain. ” Howe echoed that assessment, saying he felt focused and that both skaters were trying to deliver their required elements while supporting one another at ice level.
Path to the Games
Their presence at the Olympics was not straightforward. Chan and Howe were named to the 2026 Winter Olympic team after two pairs who finished ahead of them at the U. S. championships could not qualify because of citizenship issues. The Boston Globe noted that Chan and Howe originally finished fourth at nationals earlier in the season and had encountered a rocky short program there, placing eighth out of 10 pairs in that segment.
Their rebound at nationals, including what the pair described as their best free skate ever, positioned them for Olympic selection once those eligibility problems were resolved. The duo have skated together for seven years, a partnership that has weathered training interruptions and injuries and emphasizes a shared approach printed inside Chan’s Team USA jacket: “Trust the process. ”
Background and resilience
Howe’s career has included significant challenges. He underwent surgery in May 2023 to repair a torn labrum in his shoulder and has also completed Army basic training. As a member of the Army’s World Class Athlete Program, Howe is the first figure skater from that program to make an Olympic team. The pair previously finished fifth at the world championships in 2023, slipped to 12th in 2024 after Howe’s recovery, and were fourth at the U. S. championships in 2025.
Their preparation for Milan included an extended stay in the city; the pair arrived more than two weeks before competition and had not competed in the lead-up to the Games. That unusual schedule for elite skaters helped them settle and focus on delivering cleaner elements on the Olympic ice.
Team context and personal notes
The United States will have two pairs in the Olympic pairs event: Chan and Howe, and Kam and O’Shea, who sit in seventh after the short program. The Boston Globe reminded readers that no American pair has won an Olympic medal in the discipline since 1988, and the United States has never taken gold in Olympic pairs.
Off the ice, the Games have been notable for personal connections. Chan’s boyfriend, Estonian skater Aleksandr Selevko, also qualified to compete at these Olympics. Families from both sides gathered in Milan; Chan’s father and brother watched her compete live for the first time in more than a decade, while Howe’s parents, sister and other relatives were also in the stands.
With the free skate ahead, Chan and Howe aim to build on a short program that brought both a sense of relief and renewed momentum. Their journey to this moment has combined perseverance through injury and timing, and for now they will carry that regained confidence into Monday’s competition.
