by Matteo Morelli | Photos by Melanie Heaney

The Olympics already feel like a distant memory, yet the experiences remain vivid in our minds and the emotions still strong in our hearts. Competing at the Winter Games means a great deal to every athlete who achieves this goal.

To honour those memories and feelings, we have put together a collection of first impressions from the early days of Milano Cortina 2026, aiming to capture the excitement and emotions felt by the athletes during their time there and to preserve what it truly felt like to be part of such a defining moment in a skater’s life.

Charlène Guignard and Marco Fabbri, Italy: It is a big emotion that we are trying to manage well: we are just trying to enjoy the competitions, to enjoy the feeling of the ice. We will continue cheering for our teammates.

(After medalling at the Team Event) We still have to process what happened, we were talking about all the scenarios that could have led to us medalling, and when Matteo (Rizzo) completed his skate, it became clear to us that we won!

Olivia Smart and Tim Dieck, Spain: We are very excited! It is still kicking in, but I think when we step on the ice on competition day, it is really going to feel like it is officially happening. Of course, we had the Opening Ceremony, so that felt like it officially happened, but now with the skating it is getting very serious, and we are ready to compete.

(Olivia on being flag bearer) Being the flag bearer was incredible. I had no expectations, just a lot of pride and excitement. When I stepped out, I was very nervous and overwhelmed! We danced a lot. We had so much fun as a team with the other skaters and speed skaters. It was incredible. A moment I will never forget.

Evgeniia Lopareva and Geoffrey Brissaud, France: It feels like a dream to be here! Walking in the stadium during the Opening Ceremony was like “wow!”, it was really a lot of fun. During the Team Event, our French team did really well. We fought for this, our team gave their best and we were proud of them.

Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier, Canada: It was so nice to be back at the Olympics. We were so excited to be here. We felt so much energy from the crowd today, it felt really special, it really felt like the Olympics in the best way possible, and that just made it such a pleasure to perform.

It is actually really nice to start the Olympic Games with the Team Event, because we get to compete as a unit, and we have our whole team there cheering for us in the box. It just makes it a nice, comfortable atmosphere.

It is the Olympic Games, obviously there are always nerves when you compete, but I think we were really excited more than anything. We put so much love and care into our programmes, and we are so excited at the prospect of being able to share them with so many people.

Juulia Turkkila and Matthias Versluis, Finland: We are feeling very good. We came here almost a week before, and it feels like the time has gone fast, really fast! When we entered the stadium during the Opening Ceremony, to see all the people and the Finnish team with us, it was a great feeling. And to hear Bocelli! That was breathtaking.

Madison Chock and Evan Bates, United States: We felt very calm and very present, it was a great feeling to have, taking the Olympic ice with that, and we really savoured the moment. Each time we step out, we are competing with ourselves. It is our mindset and our approach, it is how we stay focussed.

We are really excited to cheer on our team, we just want them to feel good and skate how they want to skate, and we are supporting them all the way.

The goal is to win a gold medal, but the goal is multifaceted: the preparation, handling the moment, being champions on and off the ice, and we feel like our approach has been great, and we wouldn’t change anything about what we have done thus far.

Marie-Jade Laurialt and Romain Le Gac, Canada: We are having an amazing experience. With the Team Event going on, it is really special to be here, to cheer on everyone, and everyone did a great job, so it has been really fun.

The Opening Ceremony was really great. We couldn’t get to the one eight years ago at our first Olympics, so to be at an Opening this time was really special. The Canadian team is a big team, so it was really nice and the stadium was huge! It was impressive. We couldn’t see the beginning, but when we were there, it was really impressive, all the messages that were shared were really nice.

Kateřina Mrázková and Daniel Mrázek, Czech Republic: We went to the Opening Ceremony, we walked there. There are a lot of new things to discover, we are a bit in shock, but we are enjoying it!

I think we are now really enjoying exchanging pins, and we are trying to make a collection. We put our pins together, so we do just one collection, but we have double pins to trade with!

Diana Davis and Gleb Smolkin, Georgia: The last Olympics didn’t honestly feel like the Olympic Games, because everything was closed and it was COVID everywhere, so everyone was more freaking out about testing instead of the competition. This one feels more natural.

(Diana on being a flag bearer) It means a lot to me, I was really glad!

(Gleb) She was chosen because of her Georgian roots. So I think it’s a great privilege, a great honour for her. Hopefully, it is not too heavy, otherwise Luka (Berulava) will be carrying it by himself!

Allison Reed and Saulius Ambrulevičius, Lithuania: Carrying the flag was probably one of the most emotional experiences of our lives. We looked at each other before we walked out, it was such a big arena and to see those rings and walk up right next to them, it felt crazy.

(Allison on her siblings) I took one of those plants, because all the athletes get a plant. I named it Chris, so it is like Chris is in the village with me. In the Team Event, I was so proud of my sister Cathy, I think she has done wonderful things with her team. I was so sad when they didn’t make the individual event, but when I knew they would come for the Team Event, I thought we get to all be here together again, and with my parents coming, as well. Being here together gave the experience a whole new emotional meaning.

Phebe Bekker and James Hernandez, Great Britain: We feel great! I think it took a few days to settle into the environment. It was overwhelming in a good way: this is something we have dreamed of our whole lives. I think that being here comes with so much anticipation that there is bound to be a rollercoaster of emotions.

During the Opening Ceremony, it felt like a life moment that I don’t think we will forget ever. The whole world was watching us at that one moment, as soon as we stepped through those doors, we felt the absolute magnitude and the energy of that.

Holly Harris and Jason Chan, Australia: It is going really well. I feel like we are finally settling in. We arrived with enough time for the competition. We watched the Team Event Rhythm dance live, and then we watched the free on TV. It was really great because it gets you excited.

It was an indescribable feeling during the Opening Ceremony. I didn’t expect to be so nervous to walk out, but it was amazing. And Andrea Bocelli! We were so close to him. There were so many special moments. Being there, it made it real and it made us realise how big the Olympics actually are.

Utana Yoshida and Masaya Morita, Japan: We really enjoy skating here, because the audience is really nice, and our teammates are on the rink side, so we had so much fun here. We have to cheer team Japan!

MILAN, ITALY – February 07: Utana Yoshida and Masaya Morita of Japan compete in the Team Event Free Dance at the Milano-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games on February 7, 2026, in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Melanie Heaney/U.S. Figure Skating)

Natálie Taschlerová and Filip Taschler, Czech Republic: Out there, on Olympic ice, it looks very nice. We are enjoying it, every practice is a blessing. It is such a nice energy with all our ice dance family, we have such good friendships, so it lifts you up. So far it is super nice.

It is our second Olympics. We know the people more, so it is just great having friends and making new friends. I feel like this is the golden medal, to have friendships and sharing the love for the sport.

Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson, Great Britain: Being on Olympic ice for the second time is really special. The maturity that we have four years later, we were able to take it in, but also not get overwhelmed by it, and I was really happy to just have that balance.

Skating at the Team Event was a memory that we are going to cherish forever. We are so proud of us for doing exactly what we train for when the pressure was on. I wanted to cheer on my teammates first, but definitely just enjoying this experience.

We have been dreaming about an Opening Ceremony, we didn’t get the chance in Beijing, and I want to savour every single second.

Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko, United States: We are really excited to be here. The environment is incredible. We are having the best time, so we can’t wait to start competing. Very few people make the Olympic Games, and it is truly an honour to be here.

During the Opening Ceremony, it was an honour to hear everything they said and what the Olympics truly means.

Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron, France: We were really looking forward to stepping on Olympic ice together. And it is our first time doing the Team Event, which is a brand-new experience for the both of us. We could hear our team cheering for us, as we passed close to the board. It was a really good feeling.

Sofiia Dovhal and Wiktor Kulesza, Poland: It feels amazing! We are super happy. We had a season best in our first Olympics, so it is a special moment for us.

There are so many big moments for us, making history with Polish figure skating: we are the first Polish figure skaters to compete at the Team Event. I am speechless!

Hannah Lim and Ye Quan, South Korea: We just want to have fun, not think about it too much. Just live our dream.

We love the Team Event. It reminded me of Team Trophy a couple years ago where your teammates were cheering in the team box, really loud every time we pass, so I feel their energy and it helps me so much.

MILAN, ITALY – February 06: Hannah Lim and Ye Quan of South Korea compete in the Team Event Rhythm Dance at the Milano-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games on February 6, 2026, in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Melanie Heaney/U.S. Figure Skating)