Alysa Liu, Mikaela Shiffrin, Jordan Stolz ignite Winter Olympic season in weekend of stars

Some of America's biggest expected stars for the Milan Cortina Olympics recorded impactful victories in the busiest winter sports weekend so far this season on the road to February’s Games

Some of America's biggest expected stars for the Milan Cortina Olympics recorded impactful victories in the busiest winter sports weekend so far this season on the road to February’s Games.

Americans won top-level international events in figure skating (Alysa Liu, Madison Chock/Evan Bates), Alpine skiing (Mikaela Shiffrin) and speed skating (Jordan Stolz, plus a world record in men’s team pursuit).

The multi-sport success is a carryover from the 2024-25 season, when Americans won 15 world titles in events that are on the Winter Olympic program. The U.S. record for gold medals at a single Winter Games is 10 from 2002.

Liu, who last year ended a two-year retirement and then became the first U.S. women’s figure skating world champion since 2006, claimed her first victory of the Olympic season at Skate America.

Liu had jumping flaws in her short and free programs, but she had the highest artistic scores in both to win the biggest annual international competition that is held in the U.S.