The Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, have just concluded on Feb. 22, 2026. The Olympics open up a rare journey in an elite athlete’s career, with not just the pressure to be the best you can, but pressure from the media to act or represent in a certain way.
Impressively, the United States won a total of 33 bronze, silver, and gold medals in the past two weeks, ending up in second place behind Norway.
With 12 golds from the USA, it delivers an ultimate mental battle—with some figure skaters choking on the ice.
Ilia Malinin, also known as the “Quadgod”, had an unfortunate skate during the Men’s Singles Event. The media erupts in chaos; TikToks, Articles, and YouTube videos all depict the same general question of, “What happened to Ilia Malinin?”
Figure skaters are bound to have one bad skate in their career, and Malinin is just another case of this. It was a shocking performance, but the media’s dramatized reaction is more than likely to harm Malinin’s mental health more than it already has.
It’s common to place all your self-worth on a performance, or that believing that perfection is the only way to success.
To prevent a bad skate, you are trained to handle performance anxiety like a pro.
Elissa Penafiel, a member of DC EDGE Synchronized Skating, talks about her mindset.
“I don’t see it as a competition, I see it as a showcase. You have to prove to everyone you’re a boss,” Penafiel said.
Amber Glenn, a USA figure skater, also felt the Olympic pressure on the ice. She helped lead Team USA to gold in the team event, but struggled in the women’s individual short program.
This Winter Games was Glenn’s first, but in the past she was the Grand Prix Final Champion (2024) and U.S. national champion three times (2024–2026) along with other medals and achievements.
Glenn is openly queer and uses her platform to advocate for LGBTQ+ rights. She received backlash and threats on social media after making a statement on how the Trump administration makes it difficult for the community to feel safe.
Leading up to the short program, Glenn was one of the top-ranked skaters, many expecting her to medal.
Her skate started off great with a triple axel, but she unfortunately missed her triple loop, a jump that cost her more than seven points.
When a skater has a mistake like that, it’s common to see changes in their body language. A DC EDGE coach, Amanda Fogle, sees it everyday.
This simple mistake landed her in 13th, but Trump supporters took the chance to mock Glenn, claiming that this performance was karma for her comments on Trump.
With differing opinions on involving politics in the Olympics, athletes are put in a difficult situation to balance being proud of competing for their country while also speaking up for those who do not have a voice.
Isabeau Levito is an elite figure skater representing Team USA at an early age of 18. Levito ended up 12th place in the women’s individual event.
Besides her performance, Levito is receiving unnecessary and inappropriate backlash from talking positively about her Olympic village experience. “I’ve spent every night in the [Olympic] Village. It’s been everything and more. And you can’t evict me,” Isabeau said in an NBC New York video.
In a TikTok video from @nbcbayarea with the same quote, users are sexualizing her in the comment section. Disgusting remarks are being thrown all over the internet about an innocent girl, assuming that she’s having ‘too much fun.’
Levito stays positive online, still posting funny and wholesome videos about her experience in the Village and on the ice.
Alysa Liu, a 20-year-old USA figure skater had a comeback of a lifetime, winning both the gold medal for the team event as well as the women’s individual figure skating event.
Her story is an inspiring one, she retired from figure skating at 16 and came back 2 years later. Through her performances and the way she carries herself on the ice, you can’t see any signs of stress, it’s all passion.
In multiple interviews, Liu has made it clear that she’s here to express her art for everyone to see. Before she competed, getting medals or the chance of falling wasn’t in the thought process for her.
ISU Figure Skating has not seen this mentally strong of an athlete in years, and Liu is beautifully representing the spirit of the USA with full throttle.
Figure skating is one of the most overlooked sports, but when the Winter Olympics roll around every 4 years, it rises to popularity and the competing athletes have the cameras on them.
No matter how the games finished out, it’s important to stay respectful and have good sportsmanship to all of the teams and athletes.