Meet the 16 Figure Skaters Carving Up the Ice For Team USA in the 2022 Olympics

Mariah Bell has dazzled us for years with her gorgeous routines; we couldn’t be happier that she brought back her breathtaking “Hallelujah” free skate for this season. Consistently high-level performances plus her first gold at the US Championships this year cemented Bell’s spot on Team USA. The 25-year-old doesn’t have a quad jump, so she’ll have her work cut out for her at the Olympics, but her beautifully-choreographed programs will be must-watch TV.

Karen Chen took a break from figure skating during the 2018-2019 season, allowing some injuries to heal up while applying to colleges. She started classes at Cornell University but has paused her education for this Olympic cycle, and that decision is working out pretty well for her. The 2018 Olympian placed second at nationals with two solid programs, and will look to improve on her 11th place finish from PyeongChang.

Alysa Liu has quickly made her mark on US figure skating. The 16-year-old already has two national championship golds to her name and, in 2018, she became the first US woman to land a quad jump in an ISU (International Skating Union) competition. Liu wasn’t able to defend her title this year due to a positive COVID test (she only skated her short program), but her jumping prowess and consistently high scores over the last two years earned her a spot at Beijing 2022.

If you follow figure skating even a little, Nathan Chen needs no introduction. The six-time US champion and three-time world champion has been nearly unbeatable since his fifth-place finish at the 2018 Olympics, winning every competition he’s been in except one, and Chen is roaring into Beijing on the back of a record-setting short program at nationals. Known for his combination of artistry and soaring quad jumps, the 22-year-old enters the Olympics with major determination and a fresh mindset. The stage is officially set for another epic battle with Japanese skater and two-time Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu.

Don’t sleep on Vincent Zhou. The bronze medalist at this year’s US Championships struggled in his long program, but his short program was only three points off of Nathan Chen’s, and he finished just behind Chen at the 2018 Olympics as well. The two-time US silver medalist is poised to make a splash (and maybe play spoiler?) in Beijing this year.

Jason Brown is one of the most beloved American figure skaters, and for good reason. His programs are routinely breathtaking, characterised by gorgeous choreography sequences and skating skills. While Brown, the 2015 US champion, doesn’t often land quads in his programs, the routines are always audience favorites. Expect to see a standing ovation or two when he competes in Beijing.

Ice dance pair Madison Chock and Evan Bates are known for their creative and boundary-pushing choreography, often using contemporary music; this year, their rhythm dance is set to “Bad Guy” by Billie Eilish. They’re currently ranked No. 1 in the world, so it’s no surprise that they took home gold at the US Championships and are medal favorites heading into Beijing. Chock and Bates are looking for their first Olympic podium finish after placing eighth in 2014 and ninth in 2018.

Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue finished fourth at the PyeongChang Olympics, a mere .02 points behind bronze medalists Maia and Alex Shibutani, so this ice dancing pair is coming to Beijing with plenty of motivation. The pair recently announced that they’ll retire after the 2021-2022 season, so the 2022 US silver medalists have one more shot at the Olympic podium.

Kaitlin Hawayek and Jean-Luc Baker have won three straight ice dancing bronze medals at the US Championships and most recently placed ninth at the 2021 World Championships. They executed a clutch free dance to secure their berth to Beijing, in what will be the pair’s Olympic debut. Get ready for smooth, graceful skating and lovely musical interpretations from this pair.

Pairs skaters Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier were forced to miss nationals after Frazier tested positive for COVID-19, but their strong performances over the past few years – including a 2021 US Championship gold, in which they scored the highest combined point total in the competition’s history – helped the pair earn their spot in Beijing. Knierem competed in the 2018 Olympics with husband and then-skating partner Chris Knierem, earning a bronze in the team event, but Beijing will serve as Frazier’s Olympic debut.

Two US Olympic spots were available for pairs, and Ashley Cain-Gribble and Timothy LeDuc nabbed the second by winning gold at the US Championships this year. The pair has placed ninth in two world championships and will make their first Olympic appearance this year, but LeDuc has already made history in the sport: they are the first openly gay skater to win pairs gold at the national championships and will be the first non-binary athlete to compete at any Winter Olympics.