Kristi Yamaguchi hopes “Blade Angels” can break U.S. individual figure skating medal drought: They “are ready”

As the women’s figure skating got going Tuesday at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Games, former world champion and Olympic gold medal winner Kristi Yamaguchi was optimistic about the chances of a medal from a trio of American skaters.

An American woman hasn’t won an individual Olympic skating medal in two decades, but Alysa Liu, Amber Glenn and Isabeau Levito — collectively known as the “Blade Angels” — are hoping to change that. Before the event got underway, Yamaguchi herself said there was a chance they could even sweep.

“I’m not gonna say that is going to happen,” Yamaguchi said, “But, for sure, Amber: reigning U.S. champion right now. And then Alysa Liu: reigning world champion. A great chance of being on the podium. Maybe at the top.” 

But unfortunately for Glenn, she couldn’t complete her triple loop — a costly mistake that dropped her into 13th place in the standings after the short program. Liu was in third place while Levito was in eighth headed into the free skate on Thursday.

“It’s imperative to have a clean short,” Yamaguchi said before the event started. “Missing one element is so detrimental, and you want to set yourself up right for a chance at a medal, at the gold.”  

She also said it’s important to come back with a strong free program, even after a catastrophe in the short. 

“You might not get the medal you want, but it’s just proving that, you know, you belong there and you were ready,” she said.    

Yamaguchi took home the gold at the Albertville 1992 Winter Games, with fellow American Nancy Kerrigan getting bronze. 

The two-time world champion said it feels like the American women are “due” for a win with the trio of “solid competitors who are seasoned, who have had the experience, and I feel like are ready.”

Asked what it was about women’s figure skating that captures Americans’ hearts and attention every four years, Yamaguchi suggested it’s been “seen as the glamorous side of the Olympics.”

“And the U.S. has traditionally done very well,” she noted. “We have quite a few U.S. women’s champions.”

“Obviously, the artistry is … I think a very essential part of our sport,” she added. “It’s what people fall in love with. Personalities, the style, expression.”