Milano Cortina 2026

Gilles & Poirier: After Reaching Wuthering Heights, Ice Dance Duo Take Time To Reflect

By Hiro Yoshida

In June Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier announced their decision to sit out the upcoming season’s ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating. It will come as no surprise to anyone who followed their rollercoaster 2025-2026 to understand why the Canadians are now taking a break to reflect on what they accomplished.

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Loena Hendrickx: Olympic Take Three In Milan

By Hiro Yoshida

The past twelve months have been perhaps the most challenging of Loena Hendrickx’s career. After overcoming injury, rehabilitation, illness and the small matter of having to earn her spot at this month’s Olympics, the Belgian skater is ready to leave it all out on the ice in Milan this week.

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Karina Akopova & Nikita Rakhmanin’s Long Road to Armenia and Olympic Ice

By Maria Bagdasarova

(Featured Photo: © Asatur Yesayants / YantsImages )

At the Milano Cortina Olympics, Karina Akopova and Nikita Rakhmanin are the first pair skaters to represent Armenia at the Games since 2002. The pair secured their Olympic quota at the ISU Skate to Milano qualifying competition in Beijing in September 2025, re-establishing themselves on the international stage after more than a three-year hiatus. The path to the moment when Karina Akopova and Nikita Rakhmanin finally sat in a kiss-and-cry with “Armenia” next to their names was far from straightforward. As they prepare to compete on the Olympic ice this weekend, they have a clear objective in mind: to represent Armenia with confidence and pride on the world’s biggest stage.

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Maurizio Margaglio: An Olympic Journey Comes Full Circle

By Hiro Yoshida

Twenty years ago this month, Maurizio Margaglio, with his partner Barbara Fusar-Poli, had a moment at the 2006 Olympics in Turin that is still talked about to this day when people think of those Games. With the Olympics back in Italy and the ice dance event beginning later today, the 2002 Olympic bronze medallist reflects on his competitive career and his current role as coach in Finland.

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Stellato-Dudek & Deschamps: Long Awaited Olympic Dream Finally Within Reach

By Hiro Yoshida

After becoming World champions in March 2024, Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps struggled to reach the same heights last season. As they approach the pinnacle of their careers in February 2026, the Canadian pair channelled that disappointment into motivation for the Milano-Cortina Olympic Games.

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