MILAN — It’s the one thing that can make or break a figure skater: The skates.
As the U.S. figure skating team chases multiple gold medals at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina, none of it can be possible if the skates aren’t perfect. Issues with skates can easily derail or throw off the best athletes in the sport.
It’s common for figure skaters to get new skates once a season, and those new skates need to be broken in. They can wind up being too loose or too tight. Or simply, they can just not feel right. Think of it like a NASCAR driver and pit crew deciding when to change tires: They have to do it, it’s just a matter of when.
“Breaking in new skates is something that every skater has to go through at some time in their career,” U.S. figure skater Ilia Malinin said Wednesday. “For me specifically, it’s not always a fun time.”
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Skates have caused notable problems before. Famously, Michelle Kwan suffered a stress fracture in her toe in 1997 because of a change. Recently, Jason Brown pulled out of the 2025 U.S. Championships and his season was messed up because he was still adjusting to equipment changes. In November at Skate America, champion Alysa Liu said she didn’t feel like she skated well just because she tied her skates too tight.
“I was like, that’s so annoying. Because, why did I do that? That’s so easily avoidable,” she said after the event. “It’s totally OK. But that’s why I was just like, silly mistake.”
Before the 2026 U.S. Championships, Malinin decided to change skates, a necessary inconvenience given the timing of the switch. He admitted before the competition he was still getting used to the new skates, but the process was going well. Despite cruising to a fourth straight US title, he played it safe by lowering the amount of quad jumps in his free skate to three. Although it wasn’t a big concern because of his talent, Malinin explained the breaking in process ahead of his first Olympics.
“It brings a lot of issues and problems where you have to know where it aligns on the blade, or how the boots move themselves, and if it’s comfortable for you, or if you just need to get used to it,” Malinin said. “There’s a lot of different characteristics and aspects that go into this.”
Even with the unfun part of the process, Malinin feels like he’s gotten accustomed to the skates at the right time.
“I feel good,’ he said. ‘They started cooperating with me a few days ago, so I’m really looking forward to seeing how they’ll do under pressure.’
Malinin’s confidence in his skates will be put to the test when he competes in the men’s short program for the team event on Saturday, Feb. 7. After that, Malinin, his team and U.S. Figure Skating will assess his participation in the men’s free skate portion of the team event on Feb. 8, being mindful that the men’s individual event begins on Feb. 10 and wraps on Feb. 13.