As the 2026 Winter Olympics progress, the figure skating pairs have taken the spotlight at the Milan Ice Skating Arena. On February 15, the competition kicked off with notable performances in the pairs short program. The United States features two teams, including Olympic gold medalists Danny O’Shea and Ellie Kam, alongside Spencer Akira Howe and Emily Chan. Despite the U.S. having top contenders in various figure skating events, its pairs teams have historically struggled, with no medals earned since 1988.
Pairs Short Program Results
The pairs short program delivered several impressive performances. Here are the key scores:
- Lia Pereira and Trennt Michaud (Canada): 74.60 total score
- Wenjing Sui and Cong Han (China): 72.66 total score
- Emily Chan and Spencer Akira Howe (USA): 71.06 total score
- Anikka Hocke and Robert Kunkel (Germany): 67.52 total score
- Karina Akopova and Nikita Rakhmanin (Armenia): 66.27 total score
- Anastasia Vaipan-Law and Luke Digby (Great Britain): 66.07 total score
- Ioulia Chtchetinina and Michal Wozniak (Poland): 65.23 total score
- Camille Kovalev and Pavel Kovalev (France): 64.65 total score
- Daria Danilova and Michel Tsiba (Netherlands): 64.07 total score
- Anastasiia Gloubeva and Hektor Giotopoulos Moore (Australia): 60.69 total score
- Yuna Nagaoka and Sumitada Moriguchi (Japan): 59.62 total score
Upcoming Performances
Here is the remaining starting order for the pairs short program:
- Maria Pavlova and Alexei Sviatchenko (Hungary)
- Rebecca Ghilardi and Filippo Ambrosini (Italy)
- Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea (USA)
- Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps (Canada)
- Anastasiia and Luka Berulava (Georgia)
- Sara Conti and Niccolo Macii (Italy)
- Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara (Japan)
- Minerva Fabienne Hase and Nikita Volodin (Germany)
Performance Highlights
Emily Chan and Spencer Akira Howe delivered a commendable performance, securing a score of 71.06. Despite earlier struggles in this season’s events, their execution appeared polished, with only a minor stumble noted. This score not only assures their spot in the free skate but also reflects their potential on this prestigious stage.
In the context of Olympic figure skating, the pairs short program continues to be thrilling. The Olympic competition offers a unique platform for these athletes to display their skills, setting the stage for the upcoming free skate events.
The pairs are scheduled to conclude their competition with the free skate on February 16. Olympic viewers can catch the entire event live on NBC or stream it on Peacock.
