Alysa Liu Advances as isabeau levito Battles Errors; U.S. Pins Hopes on Free Skate
MILAN — Alysa Liu put herself squarely in the hunt for an individual Olympic figure skating medal after a confident short program at the Milano Ice Skating Arena on Feb. 17, 2026 ET. Liu’s high-difficulty triple Lutz–triple loop combo left her third on the leaderboard as the U. S. now pins its single-woman medal hopes on Thursday night’s free skate (Feb. 19, 2026 ET). Meanwhile, Isabeau Levito and Amber Glenn face uphill climbs after costly marks in the short.
Liu’s technical firepower keeps American gold hopes alive
Liu, the reigning world champion, delivered one of the event’s most technically demanding short programs, landing the triple Lutz–triple loop that few women attempted. The score left her only a couple of points behind the leaders and established her as America’s primary threat to the podium heading into the free skate. After her performance Liu said she felt grounded and connected to her program, and she highlighted the emotional lift of seeing family and friends in the stands.
The wider context at these Games has magnified the pressure on Liu: an American woman has not stood on the Olympic podium in singles since 2006, and the U. S. has already seen strong team results give way to disappointing individual outcomes. With other top U. S. contenders faltering or marked down, Liu’s clean, high-value content places the spotlight firmly on her Thursday night performance.
isabeau levito, Amber Glenn face damage control before free skate
Isabeau Levito, the 2024 world silver medalist, delivered a performance praised for its presentation but was penalized for an under-rotated triple loop and received a level downgrade on her step sequence—an element where she typically collects significant points. Those calls left Levito in eighth place after the short, just a few points behind Liu and within reach if she can capitalize in the free skate.
Amber Glenn endured a harsher blow. A popped triple loop in her short program turned a planned element into a void, costing her essentially all value for that jump and dropping her to 13th place, one spot short of advancing. Glenn’s visible distress on the ice underlined how narrow the margins can be: a single error in the short program’s tightly prescribed element list can erase a major portion of an athlete’s score.
Both skaters will have the free skate opportunity to climb. For Levito, restoring her step sequence’s level and cleaning up rotation grades will be critical. For Glenn, the longer program offers a chance to rebuild confidence and accumulate technical points, but moving from the low teens into medal contention would require near-flawless skating combined with multiple rivals slipping.
U. S. figure skating’s mixed fortunes and what to watch Thursday
The United States has already experienced mixed outcomes in Milan and Cortina: team success contrasted with individual disappointments across multiple events. A contentious judging moment in ice dance and unexpected results in the men’s competition have kept discussions about scoring in the foreground, but for the athletes still competing the immediate focus is performance on the ice.
Thursday night’s free skate will demand both technical ambition and clean execution. Liu’s willingness to include the most difficult combination attempted by the women gives her a clear pathway to the podium, but the free skate’s longer format rewards endurance, choreography and consistency. Levito’s and Glenn’s strategies will hinge on maximizing base value while minimizing negative grades of execution and avoiding costly errors.
For U. S. fans and the skating community, the next 24 hours will reveal whether the American contingent can convert team momentum into an individual Olympic medal, or whether the long medal drought in women’s singles will stretch another Games. Either way, the free skate promises to be decisive for Liu, Levito and Glenn as they vie for Olympic glory.
