MILAN, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- The United States is tipped as the favorite to defend its team title as the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic figure skating competition begins with the team event on Friday.
Speaking at a press conference in the Main Press Center on Wednesday, the U.S. figure skating team expressed confidence about its chances. Its strength is built around world champions Ilia Malinin, Alysa Liu and the ice dance pair of Madison Chock/Evan Bates, along with three-time U.S. champion Amber Glenn.
The American squad features 16 skaters - three for women's singles, three for men's singles, three ice dance couples and two pairs duos. By comparison, the next largest teams, Canada and Japan, each have 12 skaters on their rosters.
"The team event is extremely important to us," said five-time Olympian Bates. "Having the opportunity to compete as a team is so special, and this team in particular is so deep, so talented and has great opportunity for a gold medal."
Team USA will face the challenge from the Japanese team led by Olympic medalists Kaori Sakamoto and Yuma Kagiyama, alongside pairs world champions Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara.
Besides the United States and Japan, contention for the podium is expected to be fierce.
"There are so many countries vying for that bronze spot," Canadian ice dancer Piper Gilles said after a recent practice in Milan. "There's Georgia, there's us, everybody's pushing for it. It'd be really exciting to see everybody skate their best and see what happens. But we're just trying to encourage everybody to be the best they can be."
The team event concludes on Sunday.
