Team USA is heading to the finals of the World Baseball Classic after a gritty win over a stacked Dominican Republic squad Sunday, and Paul Skenes couldn&#8217;t be happier leading the charge for his country in what he calls his &#8220;proudest&#8221; moment.
&#8220;The proudest I’ve ever been wearing a jersey is the USA jersey,&#8221; Skenes told <a href="https://www.foxsports.com/stories/mlb/paul-skenes-talks-representing-usa-rare-interview-a-rod-its-different-level">Alex Rodriguez</a> in a sit-down interview ahead of the win over the DR. &#8220;You’re playing for a whole lot more. It’s great to play for a city, great to play for Pittsburgh in the regular season, but playing for your country, it’s a different level.&#8221;
Skenes is arguably a generational baseball talent, and while he shines on the diamond, he&#8217;s never shied away from his love of country.
The Pittsburgh Pirates ace once thought he would be flying fighter jets in the United States Air Force. The Cy Young winner, an award for the best MLB pitcher, was fresh out of high school when he took an oath to put his life on the line for our country. Even after Skenes was the overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft, the MLB Rookie of the Year, and already a Cy Young award winner, he says taking that military oath is still &#8220;one of the highlights&#8221; of his life.
&#8220;I got the chills reciting that pledge just from how proud I am of this country,&#8221; Skenes penned in a letter published by <a href="https://www.theplayerstribune.com/paul-skenes-mlb-baseball-pittsburgh-pirates-wbc-usa">The Players&#8217; Tribune</a> ahead of the international baseball tournament. &#8220;I’m actually getting chills right now remembering back to that time. Because when you love something so much that you’re willing to lay down your life for it? It’s pretty meaningful stuff.&#8221;
He played the first two years of his college career at the Air Force Academy before transferring to LSU, where he won a National Championship. But during his time wearing both an Air Force serviceman uniform and baseball uniform, Skenes said he developed the skills that have made him into the pitcher and person he is today.
&#8220;I truly believe that regardless of what you’re doing, if you want to accomplish great things and be the best version of yourself, you’re going to have to work extremely hard — be disciplined, focused,&#8221; Skenes said. &#8220;I’m pretty sure that if I hadn’t put in that time at the Academy, I probably would&#8217;ve spent a lot more time in the minors than I did. So I’m incredibly grateful.&#8221;
His military background is why playing on Team USA is such an honor.
&#8220;I was never deployed myself, but I know how much pride those individuals take in wearing that uniform with your name on the right side of your chest and the U.S. Air Force or Army lettering on the left side … because that’s what you put over your heart,&#8221; Skenes said, adding that the players putting on the red, white, and blue aren&#8217;t doing it for the fame or money, but to simply represent their country.
&#8220;Our team, we’re not cadets or anything like that. (These hairstyles would never fly). But everyone on this team … we all understand that when you put on those colors, you’re not just playing baseball, you’re representing something deeper,&#8221; Skenes said. &#8220;When you’re watching us in this tournament, we hope you feel that too.&#8221;
Skenes set the all-time record for most strikeouts at seven by a Team USA pitcher at the World Baseball Classic in his first appearance in the tourney. In the biggest test of the WBC, Skenes went 4.1 innings and gave up one run, a first-inning homer to Junior Caminero. Skenes got two strikeouts in the win over the previously undefeated Team DR filled with MLB all-stars including Juan Soto, Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr., and Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Skenes, aside from his Players&#8217; Tribune letter, is a man of few words — still after Sunday&#8217;s win, Skenes explained the significance of the semi-final victory, calling the Team DR lineup &#8220;the toughest lineup&#8221; he&#8217;s ever faced.
Now Team USA awaits the winner of Monday&#8217;s semifinal between Venezuela and Italy before taking the field one last time on Tuesday in the WBC Final.
Team USA entered the tournament as the favorites to bring home the hardware, and entering the finals, Skenes&#8217; mindset isn&#8217;t focused on adding another trophy to his case — but winning to honor the real heroes of the United States.
&#8220;Our servicemen and women don’t have the luxury of losing, it’s not really an option for them,&#8221; Skenes said. &#8220;We’re not going to war, but [this] is what we do in America: we fight and we win. That’s our responsibility.&#8221;

Credit: Daily Wire Staff/Kelly Gavin/WBCI/MLB Photos via Getty Images

‘The Proudest I’ve Ever Been Wearing A Jersey Is The USA Jersey’: Paul Skenes Is America’s Ace

Baseball

General

Sports

Team USA

U.S.

U.S. Military

World Baseball Classic

Team USA ice hockey star Jack Hughes, known for being featured in one of the most iconic sports photos in recent memory, said his fans are probably going to be “p*ssed” when he fixes his broken teeth.
The 24-year-old athlete <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/nhl/article-15629235/jack-hughes-usa-olympics-hockey-teeth.html">told</a> The Daily Mail that dentists are chomping at the bit for the opportunity to repair his cracked smile, but Hughes knows the repair won’t go over well with everyone. 
“Yeah, the amount of dentists that have reached out, man, it’s too many,” he told the outlet during an appearance at Raising Cane’s in Times Square on Monday. “But I’m going to get them fixed, hopefully this week.”
“I think people will be p*ssed if I do get them fixed,” Hughes added.
Team USA won gold during the 2026 Olympic Games in Milan for the first time in 46 years. The game came down to overtime against Canada. Hughes, a center and alternate captain for the New Jersey Devils, scored the winning goal.
Hughes was captured in an iconic, patriotic photo that quickly went viral. The ice hockey player can be seen smiling a bloody, broken grin, raising his fist in victory, and posing with an American flag draped around his shoulders. Viewers praised the emotions conveyed by the single image, which at once exemplified grit, determination, and ultimately, American excellence. 
But any new or old fans should already know that Hughes wasn’t willing to live with broken and missing teeth forever, even if his smile helped make him famous.
One reporter asked about it after Team USA’s big win last month, as The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/gold-lost-teeth-and-a-true-grit-american-moment-from-jack-hughes">reported</a>.
“You get hit in the face. You lose a tooth or two. You still maintained your composure and stayed in the game. You’re tough enough to keep playing, you scored the winning goal … what is that like?” the reporter asked at the time.
“Yeah. I mean, it sounds like definitely crazy for you guys because just different profession, but in hockey, like, if you lose your teeth, it’s not even a question of, like, coming back and playing,” Hughes replied. “That’s like an automatic.”
Hughes described the moment he realized what had happened, saying, “I just, like, was feeling around my mouth and I was just disappointed I lost my teeth…but it is what it is now, so,” he added while laughing.
When asked whether he planned to keep his smile the way it was, he said, “No, I’m going to fix these things, I want my good smile back.”
&nbsp;

Jack Huges

Team USA Hockey Star Jack Hughes Says Fans Won’t Be Happy When He Fixes Famous Smile

Team USA Hockey Star Jack Hughes Knows Fans Will Be 'P*ssed' When He Fixes His Teeth

Hockey

Men's Hockey

Olympics

Winter Olympics

Someone grab the Zamboni. There is a meltdown happening right now on social media over the United States Olympic men&#8217;s hockey team.
&#8220;It&#8217;s a fu*king scary time on hockey twitter right now,&#8221; a user <a href="https://x.com/admbeaumont/status/2026106336207856012">posted</a> to X after penning an entire article about their disgust with the men&#8217;s team.
The team that should be universally celebrated for winning the United States a gold medal in men&#8217;s hockey. Instead, they&#8217;re being torn apart by people on the Left who expected a group of jocks 10 bottles of booze deep in the locker room after making history to stand up to President Donald Trump for cracking a joke about the women&#8217;s hockey team.
&#8220;I will actually never look at those men the same ever again,&#8221; another person on X <a href="https://x.com/hrts4celebrini/status/2026240198015590844">wrote</a>. &#8220;The USA women&#8217;s hockey team deserves an apology for so much more.&#8221;
The men&#8217;s team immediately celebrated the women&#8217;s accomplishment after their own overtime gold-medal match. Jack Hughes, the golden goal scorer, said the first thing he thought about moments after scoring the winning goal was Megan Keller, who had scored the winning goal for the women&#8217;s team.
During the locker room celebration, the men&#8217;s team can be heard yelling &#8220;two for two,&#8221; meaning the golden hockey sweep, which marked the first time ever the men&#8217;s and women&#8217;s teams brought home the top Olympic prize.
Still, the hate is piling on because the men accepted the president&#8217;s invitation to the State of the Union on Tuesday in Washington, something most would call a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
However, Greg Cote, host of &#8220;The Dan Le Batard Show,&#8221; who couldn&#8217;t find the back of a mile-long net, called the men&#8217;s hockey team a &#8220;willing pawn&#8221; for attending Tuesday&#8217;s State of the Union.
&#8220;As long as the players realize that, this is an immensely unpopular president with half of the nation. Going to this, to serve as a willing pawn, is controversial,&#8221; Cote <a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/usa-hockey-players-receive-warning-170103943.html?guccounter=1&amp;guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&amp;guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAE97FKmhLGLodzFNszdAgV8GlSjx98OoVINXLZVdK2ucQPtffIUafBLu-OnAoslhyA9_4Zy1CNBzZzimmzy3j6JZsAIcTzACAFQHJGKoqWR0WBghdcOy-E81e3n0m2bh4gxPloip3O64CdVzbfVGq2_8V_QL3YMDDOG4rIYmM5xT">said</a> Tuesday.
The women&#8217;s team declined, stating prior commitments.
&#8220;We are sincerely grateful for the invitation extended to our gold medal-winning U.S. Women&#8217;s Hockey Team and deeply appreciate the recognition of their extraordinary achievement,&#8221; a USA Hockey spokesperson said to <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/us-womens-hockey-team-declines-trumps-invitation-state-union-rcna260299">NBC News</a>.
There are people online comparing the men&#8217;s hockey team to January 6 rioters for not denouncing what most considered a joke in real time during a celebratory beer pong game.
&#8220;It&#8217;s so crazy to be so disrespectful of women&#8217;s sports when your mom is literally a pioneer for women&#8217;s hockey,&#8221; another person <a href="https://x.com/satosgs/status/2025797932029510011?s=20">said</a>.
Ellen Hughes, who worked with the Olympic women&#8217;s team and is a medal winner herself, was asked about the phone call with the men&#8217;s team on Tuesday morning and simply called for unity.
RELATED: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/unity-over-politics-ellen-hughes-schools-media-after-team-usas-historic-double-gold-sweep">Unity Over Politics: Ellen Hughes Schools Media After Team USA’s Historic ‘Double Gold’ Sweep</a>
&#8220;At the end of the day, it’s just about the country,&#8221; Hughes said. &#8220;I think the moment that these players, both the men and women, can bring so much unity to a group and to a country—people that cheered on that don’t watch hockey, people that have politics on one side or on the other side—that’s all both teams care about.&#8221;
Hockey on X for sure won&#8217;t like that completely sane response.

Credit: Elsa via Getty Images

The Left Cannot Handle The Olympic Hockey Team Having Fun And It’s Hilarious

The Left Cannot Handle Hockey Being Fun And It's Hilarious

News

If you missed the Olympic gold medal hockey game between the United States and Canada, you missed a doozy. 
It was a truly spectacular hockey game. The US took a 1-0 lead in the first period and held it all the way until the third period, when the Canadians evened the score. Then they ended up in sudden-death overtime, where Jack Hughes delivered a game-winner for the ages. 
He&#8217;d already taken a high stick to the face, so he was missing a bunch of teeth.
It was the most hockey thing ever.
What was really refreshing about it was the way that the men&#8217;s hockey team responded: basic patriotism. I know this has now become controversial among some folks, but there&#8217;s nothing controversial about America being awesome. 
After the game, Jack Hughes said, “This is all about our country now. I love the USA. I love my teammates. It&#8217;s unbelievable. The USA Hockey Brotherhood is so strong, and we had so much support from our players, and I&#8217;m so proud of the Americans.”
Isn’t that great? Can&#8217;t we simply feel good about that? 
The answer for some people, of course, is no.
Many people are not feeling good about Team USA winning gold, because how can you be proud of America in the age of Donald Trump? 
Here&#8217;s the thing: If Barack Obama were president and Team USA won gold in men&#8217;s hockey, I think we&#8217;d all still feel pretty good about it.  
So why does that change if you don&#8217;t like the president of the United States?
Notice how the men&#8217;s hockey team reacted when President Trump called. Were they upset that Trump called them? 
No, because he&#8217;s the president of the United States. 
Just get over it. You might not like him. It doesn&#8217;t matter. When the president of the United States calls to congratulate you on winning a gold medal for the United States, you take the call, and you smile. 
There are many reasons to feel good about this, and it&#8217;s a reminder of the sort of stuff that typically unites Americans. The first is that we like meritocracy. Virtually every major television event of the last year and a half has been a sports event. Why? Because sports is one of the few areas of American life where we all agree that meritocracy is taking place, that the best team wins, or the team with the most guts.
That&#8217;s where all the drama lies. Meritocracy is about the adventure. It&#8217;s about the drama. It&#8217;s about the thrill of victory. That&#8217;s why Americans love it. 
And so watching the hockey team win gold is awesome because sports are the realm of meritocracy. 
The second thing that always unites Americans is having a common enemy in sports. The common enemy is whoever the United States is playing against. 
This has been true forever, and not just for the United States. There is a very famous British phrase used in the lead-up to World War I that stated the wars won on the battlefield began on the playing fields of Eton, meaning that soldiers first learned to work as a team by playing sports as boys, and that connected them to masculinity and military prowess.
And so it&#8217;s easy for Americans to come together when there&#8217;s a common opponent. One of the reasons we have splintered so much as a nation over the last several decades is that the United States is, in fact, a global hegemon. That is why there&#8217;s a feeling that most of our conflicts are internal. 
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-2372-murica-us-hockey-team-wins-it-all"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-981859 size-full" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/ben-banner.avif" alt="" width="1024" height="171" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/ben-banner.avif 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/ben-banner-300x50.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/ben-banner-768x128.jpg 768w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a>
But that&#8217;s not true. The vast majority of real conflicts on planet Earth are between the United States and nefarious powers. This game meant a lot to America because it was a unifying moment. 
But of course, I&#8217;m joking when I equate the Canadians to the Russians. If the United States had defeated a global superpower in hockey that was also geopolitically an enemy like the Russians or the Chinese, that would have been even bigger. That&#8217;s what the 1980 Olympic hockey game was all about. 
But for Americans to truly feel unified, we have to see what&#8217;s on the other side of the fence. Otherwise, we tend to tear ourselves apart internally.
The breakdown here is fascinating sociologically. You&#8217;re seeing two groups of people who are looking at this wonderful event, this fun and unifying event, and trying to look a gift horse in the mouth.
Some people on the Left are saying, &#8220;How dare we feel good about America in a time when Donald Trump is president of the United States?&#8221; 
The Huffington Post had a piece by Monica Torres titled, “There&#8217;s A Name For The Discomfort You&#8217;re Feeling Watching The Olympics Right Now.” Torres added, “If waving the American flag or chanting USA turns you off right now, you&#8217;re not alone.”
You should be alone because you suck. 
But that&#8217;s the basic idea here from some members of the Left. 
I&#8217;m supposed to feel bad that the American men&#8217;s hockey team won the gold because you didn&#8217;t vote for the guy who is currently in the Oval Office?
This is a split between the Right and the Left in virtually all polling data. Conservatives are always patriotic about the country, even when a Democrat is president. Democrats are significantly less patriotic about the country when a Democrat is not president.
There’s also a bizarre, fringe movement on the Right, trying to suggest that this isn&#8217;t a cool thing. Why? Because it turns out that some members of the U.S. men&#8217;s hockey team are not necessarily the most conservative on every single issue. So now we&#8217;re going to delve into their social media histories and try to determine whether Jack Hughes voted for Donald Trump or Kamala Harris.
Are you kidding me with this crap? 
I know that a lot of the time it doesn&#8217;t feel like we&#8217;re on the same team. Yes, there are Americans who are not on our team. The people who are not on our team are people rooting for foreign powers, and who see America as essentially a dispensable nation unless they win, unless they get their way. 
The reason people feel good today about what happened at the Olympics is that it was a nice reminder that we do share a country, and it&#8217;s good that we share our country.

Ice Hockey – Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics: Day 16

Red, White, And Overtime: Why America’s Hockey Gold Still Matters

America

Donald Trump

Jack Hughes

The U.S. women&#8217;s hockey team, which won gold against Canada earlier this week, said on Monday that the players could not attend President Donald Trump&#8217;s State of the Union address, citing &#8220;previously scheduled academic and professional commitments.&#8221;
Trump invited the U.S. women&#8217;s and men&#8217;s hockey teams to attend his address on Tuesday night after both teams brought home the gold medal, with each team taking down arch-nemesis Canada in overtime. While not yet official, the men&#8217;s hockey team appeared excited to make the trip to Capitol Hill for Trump&#8217;s address. The women&#8217;s team, however, said that &#8220;the athletes are unable to participate.&#8221;
&#8220;We are sincerely grateful for the invitation extended to our gold medal–winning U.S. Women’s Hockey Team and deeply appreciate the recognition of their extraordinary achievement,&#8221; a USA Hockey spokesman said, according to <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/us-womens-hockey-team-declines-trumps-invitation-state-union-rcna260299">NBC News</a>.
The women&#8217;s team dominated during the Olympics, allowing just two goals throughout the entire tournament. Despite blowing past Canada in the preliminary round 5-0, the U.S. women found themselves trailing late against Canada in the gold-medal game. In a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/revenge-served-cold-team-usa-takes-gold-over-canada-in-olympic-sudden-death-overtime">thrilling finish</a>, Hilary Knight tied the game with just two minutes left before Megan Keller scored the game-winner in sudden-death overtime to lift the U.S. women past Canada.
A State of the Union invite is a rare honor, as members of Congress, as well as the speaker and the president, are afforded a very limited number of guests. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said on Monday that officials were working to &#8220;figure out logistics&#8221; for the House to host both teams, which would include dozens of players and coaches, POLITICO <a href="https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2026/02/23/congress/usa-hockey-teams-sotu-00793130">reported</a>.
“There’s no way to have special guests on the floor because it’s a literal session of Congress,” he said. “But we’re going to work and do what we can to accommodate.”
After the United States won its first gold medal in men&#8217;s hockey since 1980 on Sunday, Trump spoke to the team over the phone and invited them to the State of the Union.
&#8220;I must tell you, we’re going to have to bring the women’s team, you do know that,&#8221; Trump told the men&#8217;s team after its victory over Canada. He joked that if he didn&#8217;t also invite the women&#8217;s team, &#8220;I do believe I probably would be impeached.&#8221;
The U.S. men&#8217;s team, most of whom were chugging beers alongside FBI Director Kash Patel, was ecstatic when Trump spoke to them over the phone in the locker room.
&#8220;We&#8217;re giving the State of the Union speech on Tuesday night. I could send a military plane or something if you would like to,&#8221; Trump said. Some of the players then replied, stating, &#8220;We&#8217;re in!&#8221;
&#8220;If you could work that out, I would be honored to have you all,&#8221; Trump added.
The men&#8217;s team flew back to the United States on Monday, arriving in Miami after their flight was rerouted due to the massive winter storm in the Northeast. Star forward Matthew Tkachuk told reporters that the team would spend the day in Miami before flying to Washington, D.C., on Tuesday. Asked if they would attend the State of the Union, Tkachuk replied, &#8220;I don&#8217;t know what our plan is yet.&#8221;
Tkachuk said &#8220;it was an honor&#8221; to get a call from Trump after the gold-medal victory.
&#8220;We&#8217;re definitely honored to represent him and hundreds of millions across the country, bringing a gold medal back,&#8221; he added.

Ice Hockey – Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics: Day 13

Two Gold-Medal Teams, Two Very Different Responses To Trump’s Invitation

State of the Union

Women's Hockey

Jimmy&#8217;s Famous Seafood didn&#8217;t like the crabby article that HuffPost published over the weekend in the midst of Team USA&#8217;s winning streak.
After the U.S. men&#8217;s hockey team won gold Sunday, the Baltimore-based restaurant told HuffPost to &#8220;go f*ck yourself&#8221; in response to a piece the outlet published, titled &#8220;There&#8217;s A Name For The Discomfort You&#8217;re Feeling Watching The Olympics Right Now.&#8221;
The family-owned business sent the message to HuffPost on <a href="https://x.com/JimmysSeafood/status/2025663262864376146?s=20">X</a>, and it already has more than 11 million views.
The HuffPost piece detailed how people who hate their country are having to deal with Team USA winning at the Winter Olympics. HuffPost offered great advice to those who can&#8217;t stand seeing Team USA on top, like &#8220;don&#8217;t forget to breathe.&#8221; Groundbreaking.
Jimmy&#8217;s Famous Seafood is an all-American joint that has been a Maryland landmark since the 1970s, and clearly doesn&#8217;t have an issue with celebrating the athletic achievements of Americans. Like the Minadakis family, who started Jimmy&#8217;s Famous Seafood and turned it into a nationwide staple, the Olympians accomplished their own American dream and should not have to worry about being tolerated instead of celebrated.
With lines like this in the HuffPost story — &#8220;If waving the American flag or chanting, ‘USA!’ makes us feel grossed out or ashamed, we can cheer for individual athletes&#8221; — it&#8217;s easy to see how the Team USA-supporting seafood restaurant got ticked off.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🇺🇸 For bringing home the gold and delivering an overwhelming sense of pride throughout America, we hereby grant FREE CRABCAKES FOR LIFE to all members of the 2026 USA Men’s &amp; Women’s Olympic Ice Hockey Teams! This applies to both dine-in and shipping for all time. God Bless… <a href="https://t.co/YY4eI2xa8j">pic.twitter.com/YY4eI2xa8j</a>
— Jimmy’s Famous Seafood (@JimmysSeafood) <a href="https://twitter.com/JimmysSeafood/status/2025695986883129437?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 22, 2026</a></blockquote>
To battle the HuffPost whining, Jimmy&#8217;s Famous Seafood offered free crab cakes for life to every member of the 2026 Team USA men&#8217;s and women&#8217;s Olympic ice hockey teams.
The free offer is good for dine-in or shipping, since Jimmy&#8217;s sends crab cakes near and far across the United States.
The praise from the online world couldn&#8217;t have been greater for Jimmy&#8217;s Famous Seafood. Immediately, patriots from all over started ordering crab cakes to show support for an America-loving establishment.
And as if Jimmy&#8217;s Famous Seafood&#8217;s Sunday couldn&#8217;t have been busier shipping out crab cakes to new fans, the company brought back a crab cake-themed American flag shirt to show support for the country long after the Olympic hype had faded.
What won&#8217;t fade is the American spirit Jimmy&#8217;s Famous Seafood exudes daily. From the Minadakis family raising three boys in a small apartment on top of their restaurant to building a seafood empire — thanks to the restaurant sticking to its beliefs, Jimmy&#8217;s Famous Seafood has a whole new batch of Americans to serve.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/huffpost-attacks-team-usa-pride-gets-crushed-by-americans">HuffPost Mocks Team USA Pride — Americans Clap Back</a>

Illustration by Daily Wire staff

Restaurant Tells HuffPost To ‘Go F*ck Yourself’ After Outlet Cries About Team USA

Baltimore

Huffington Post

Patriotism

Team USA women&#8217;s figure skater Alysa Liu defied the odds to become the first American woman to win Olympic gold in twenty years. As the California native took to the Olympic podium before the entire world, her breathtaking comeback was also paved by her father&#8217;s patriotic story of grit and heroism against seemingly greater odds. 
After ranking third in the women&#8217;s short program on Tuesday, Liu — cool, calm, and collected as usual — showed up to the rink smiling, waving to the crowd, and ready to skate. She performed her routine to Donna Summer&#8217;s &#8220;MacArthur Park Suite&#8221; with the infectious energy that is a trademark of the 20-year-old. After the near-perfect skate earned her a career-best 226.79 points, she was placed in first with just two skaters left — Japan’s three-time World Champion Kaori Sakamoto and Ami Nakai.
When both skaters just slightly missed the mark —Sakamoto scored 224.90 points and Ami five points behind her — Liu officially captured the gold medal and a much-needed win for Team USA.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
ALYSA LIU&#8217;S GOLD-WINNING FREE SKATE ROUTINE! ⭐️ <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WinterOlympics?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WinterOlympics</a> <a href="https://t.co/mH8tZkFCdK">pic.twitter.com/mH8tZkFCdK</a>
— NBC Olympics &amp; Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBCOlympics/status/2024686012966879376?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 20, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
What separates Liu from the rest of her team — and brings extra sweetness to her win — is the fact that she actually walked away from the sport for more than two years.
When Liu was thirteen, she became the youngest national champion, only to win again the following year. The teen prodigy dominated the sport, fueling hope for her family to become the next Michelle Kwan. In 2019, she even <a href="https://www.cbssports.com/olympics/news/alysa-liu-2026-winter-olympics-gold-medal/">became</a> the first American female to complete a quadruple jump in an international competition. But all that changed after the 2022 Beijing Olympics, when at age 16, Liu <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/olympics/2026/02/19/alysa-liu-wins-gold-figure-skater-come-back/88766880007/">announced</a> in an Instagram post that she was retiring from the sport, “&#8230; i feel so satisfied with how my skating career has gone. now that i’m finally done with my goals in skating i’m going to be moving on with my life.” 
In hopes of living a &#8220;normal&#8221; life, Liu used her freedom from the ice to hang out with friends, visit Nepal, hike to Everest Base Camp, and go on road trips. That was, until a skiing trip with her family ignited an old spark — and the desire to compete again.
Liu emerged from the two-year <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7058382/2026/02/19/alysa-liu-figure-skating-winter-olympics-gold/?smid=tw-nytimes&amp;smtyp=cur">break</a> in 2024, punctuating her comeback with a first-place win at the World Championships the following year. It is almost unheard of to return to the sport after so much time away. But Liu proved she was just that good. 
&#8220;That has been my dream,&#8221; she <a href="https://x.com/RohanNadkarni/status/2024619866074796177?s=20">told</a> NBC after the win. &#8220;I&#8217;m just over the moon, I&#8217;m the luckiest girl ever. I&#8217;m really grateful.&#8221;
Liu isn&#8217;t just a talented athlete. She carries with her the precious roots of what it means to be American, and having to fight for it.
Arthur Liu, her father, was born and raised in China. He was a university student during the infamous 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, where student-led protests and demonstrations turned deadly, and hundreds, if not thousands, were arrested, killed, or went missing in the brutal government crackdown. Liu said he was &#8220;outraged&#8221; by the massacre and went on to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=1047273&amp;action=edit">organize</a> more protests. After learning he was on the government&#8217;s &#8220;most wanted&#8221; list, he worried future imprisonment was inevitable. At age 25, he fled from China to Hong Kong and eventually made his way to America.
Three months before his daughter was supposed to represent the United States in the Beijing Olympics, a man who claimed to be a U.S. Official called Liu, asking for passport information. &#8220;I felt something fishy was going on,&#8221; he <a href="https://apnews.com/article/travel-sports-crime-figure-skating-beijing-3cd135005bb769b507199012cd5a0d22">told</a> the Associated Press at the time. &#8220;I’m not going to let them stop her from going and I’ll do whatever I can to make sure she’s safe and I’m willing to make sacrifices so she can enjoy the moment. I’m not going to let them win — to stop me — to silence me from expressing my opinions anywhere.”
Prosecutors alleged that the family was a target of a Chinese spying operation, and that the man was hired to perform surveillance on them.
But foreign harassment didn&#8217;t stop the teenager, and Liu still made her Olympic debut that year — just with heightened security from the State Department.
True to her light-hearted nature, Liu called the experience &#8220;a little bit freaky and exciting,&#8221; and wondered what her life would look like as a movie. &#8220;They got to make me look like a super cool hero or something. I can&#8217;t just be the kid that got spied on and did nothing about it.&#8221;
&#8220;I would just have the main focus be my dad&#8217;s story, because his story is so cool &#8230; everything that only happened because of what he did, so, I feel like we got to start with the roots.&#8221;

Figure Skating – Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympicl: Day 13

Alysa Liu’s Father Escaped China. She Just Won Olympic Gold For The United States.

Figure Skater Alysa Liu Delivers Gold For the U.S With An Unthinkable Comeback

Alysa Liu

Figure skating

In one of the most stunning upsets in Olympic figure skating history, Team USA figure skater Ilia Malinin lost his expected spot on the podium Friday night in Milan, finishing eighth after entering the men&#8217;s free skate with a head start and expectations of taking home the gold.
The 21-year-old two-time world champion has been undefeated in major competitions since 2023. But that all changed during the men’s free skate program on Friday when <a href="https://www.npr.org/2026/02/13/nx-s1-5713991/ilia-malinin-mikhail-shaidorov-figure-skating-olympics">he fell twice</a> and downgraded multiple jumps in a performance that shocked the sold out arena and millions of fans watching around the world.
Malinin had been nicknamed the &#8220;Quad God,” and was being lauded by the media, which many claim helped contribute to the loss as the immense pressure took a toll on the first-time Olympic competitor.
His free skate started going downhill after he failed to execute the exceedingly difficult quadruple axel. To date, Malinin is the only skater to successfully land a quad axel during a competition, and so far, it’s never been landed on Olympic ice. The skater failed to rotate and popped the jump into a single axel instead.
Later, he fell while attempting a quadruple Lutz and a double Salchow, which was also meant to be a quad.
Following his devastating skate, Malinin described the mental pressure. &#8220;Before getting into my starting pose, those experiences, memories and thoughts and pressure, it just felt so overwhelming,&#8221; he <a href="https://www.olympics.com/en/milano-cortina-2026/news/usa-s-ilia-malinin-finishes-in-shocking-eighth-place-at-winter-olympics-2026">said</a>.
Malinin also told NBC News that he &#8220;blew it,&#8221; and mentioned the weight of expectations once again. &#8220;All of this pressure, all of the media, and just being the Olympic gold hopeful was a lot,&#8221; the Team USA skater <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/sports/olympics/ilia-malinin-olympic-performance-rcna259058">explained</a>.
Kazakhstan&#8217;s Mikhail Shaidorov took home the gold with 291.58 points, earning his country&#8217;s first Winter Games gold medal in over three decades. Malinin is being praised for immediately walking over to Shaidorov to embrace and congratulate him after the results were announced.
Japan&#8217;s Yuma Kagiyama took home silver while Shun Sato, also from Japan, earned the bronze medal. Malinin finished with 264.49 points after being docked 72 points for errors, giving him an eighth-place finish.
Malinin had already secured a team gold medal earlier in the Olympic Games, but had been aggressively seeking an individual gold.

Ilia Malinin

Olympic Heartbreak: ‘Quad God’ Ilia Malinin Breaks Under Pressure, Fails To Medal In Milan

Italy

World

One of the defining names of the Milan-Cortina Olympics is 21-year-old American Ilia Malinin — known as the “Quad God” — who is widely predicted to dominate men&#8217;s figure skating. But as he learned over the weekend, the gold medals won&#8217;t simply be handed to him.
This first-time Olympian from Virginia was already regarded as the most technically gifted skater in the world before he stepped onto Olympic ice.
But the nickname of the two-time world champion comes from his extraordinary skills, particularly his ability to rotate four and a half times in the air. Malinin first completed the quadruple axel in 2022, a feat unmatched by any other skater, and it has remained his signature move ever since.
In terms of raw difficulty, Malinin occupies a space in figure skating similar to Simone Biles in gymnastics. Since debuting the quadruple axel, he has consistently pushed the technical ceiling of the sport.
But that sense of inevitability was challenged over the weekend when Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama delivered a stellar routine, outscoring Malinin by ten points in Saturday&#8217;s men’s short program. The result dropped Malinin to second place and disrupted Team USA&#8217;s pursuit of another gold medal.
The team event, which debuted in 2014, consists of eight figure skating segments: men&#8217;s short program and free skate, women&#8217;s short program and free skate, pairs short program and free skate, and the ice dance rhythm dance and free dance. Each segment awards points to the team, with ten points for first place, nine for second, and so on.
When Malinin lost to Kagiyama, the United States still held a one-point lead. A strong ice dance performance by Madison Chock and Evan Bates on Saturday kept Team USA on track, leaving gold within reach.
But the competition tightened Sunday after Amber Glenn delivered a choppy free skate and placed third, erasing the U.S. lead. The result left Team USA tied with Japan for first place, with only the men’s free skate remaining in the team event.
Malinin was not initially slated to compete in the final event, as he still had individual competitions ahead. But with the two rival countries tied at 59 points, the U.S. faced a simple reality: if it wanted gold, it needed Malinin and his quad jumps.
Malinin was called upon as the &#8220;closer,&#8221; with Team USA’s bid for back-to-back gold resting on his skates.
Under the pressure of his first Olympic medal, Malinin skated onto the ice in a shining black-and-gold costume and delivered five clean quadruple jumps, though he left out his signature quad axel. Despite a small stumble and hand placement on the ice, Malinin showed up with determination and slight vengeance. A hesitant smile overcame him when his score was revealed: 200.03 points, well below his personal best but enough to keep Team USA in contention.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
Are you not entertained? 🤯
Ilia Malinin scored 200.03 points to secure the team event gold at the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WinterOlympics?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WinterOlympics</a>!
📺 <a href="https://twitter.com/nbc?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nbc</a> &amp; <a href="https://twitter.com/peacock?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@peacock</a> <a href="https://t.co/V8lwsh3YKY">pic.twitter.com/V8lwsh3YKY</a>
— Team USA (@TeamUSA) <a href="https://twitter.com/TeamUSA/status/2020621002196344997?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 8, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Gold was within reach, with one last roadblock: Japan&#8217;s Shun Sato.
The 22-year-old then delivered a career-best routine, and the crowd waited in anxious anticipation for Sato&#8217;s scores. Sato had done everything he possibly could to win gold for Japan, but when 194.86 points appeared on the screen, it wasn&#8217;t enough, and Team USA clinched Olympic gold.
The spotlight returns to Malinin on Tuesday, when he opens his individual Olympic campaign in the short program, going head-to-head against his other Japanese rival, Kagiyama, who spoiled Malinin&#8217;s debut last weekend.

ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final – Grenoble

The ‘Quad God’ Meets Resistance On The Road To Olympic Gold

President Donald Trump will not be in attendance at the USA vs. Canada 4 Nations Face-Off hockey championship on Thursday night, but said on social media that he would call &#8220;our GREAT American Hockey Team this morning to spur them on towards victory tonight against Canada.&#8221;
Trump was invited to attend the game in Boston by Team USA&#8217;s general manager Bill Guerin, who <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/team-usa-hockey-invites-trump-to-championship-game-against-canada" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> Fox News earlier this week, “We would love it if President Trump was in attendance. We have a room full of proud American players and coaches and staff. And listen, we’re just trying to represent our country the best way we can.” The United States vs. Canada matchup in the championship is a rematch of Saturday&#8217;s round-robin game when Team USA dominated Canada in a 3-1 victory.
In a <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114036421460956478" target="_blank" rel="noopener">post</a> on Truth Social, the president said that a speaking engagement &#8220;before the Governors tonight in D.C.&#8221; is &#8220;sadly&#8221; preventing him from watching the United States take on Canada in person. &#8220;But we will all be watching, and if Governor Trudeau would like to join us, he would be most welcome,&#8221; Trump added. &#8220;Good luck to everybody, and have a GREAT game tonight. So exciting!&#8221;
Trump again suggested in his post that Canada, &#8220;with FAR LOWER TAXES AND MUCH STRONGER SECURITY, will someday, maybe soon, become our cherished, and very important, Fifty First State.&#8221;
USA Hockey posted on X that the team received a call from Trump.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Team USA received a call from the President this morning to wish them luck ahead of tonight’s <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/4Nations?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#4Nations</a> championship game. <a href="https://t.co/he1kIgUVGW">pic.twitter.com/he1kIgUVGW</a>
&mdash; USA Hockey (@usahockey) <a href="https://twitter.com/usahockey/status/1892599748692971955?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 20, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Saturday&#8217;s game between the United States and Canada began with three fights after Canadian fans in Montreal continued their trend of booing the U.S. national anthem. Team USA played physically throughout the game, sending Canadian players to the ice numerous times with crushing hits. After going down 1-0 in the first period, Team USA rallied with three unanswered goals in their win.
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Going into Thursday night&#8217;s game, Team USA is dealing with <a href="https://www.si.com/onsi/breakaway/news-feed-page/team-usa-gives-injury-updates-multiple-players" target="_blank" rel="noopener">injuries</a> to multiple key players, including defenseman Charlie McAvoy, who remains hospitalized with an infection in his right shoulder, and star forwards Auston Matthews, Brady Tkachuk, and Matthew Tkachuk. Matthews and Matthew Tkachuk were both present for Team USA&#8217;s latest practice after sitting out of Monday&#8217;s non-consequential game against Sweden. Brady Tkachuk sat out of practice due to an illness. Matthews, along with both Tkachuck brothers, are expected to play against Canada in the championship.
After Team USA&#8217;s win on Saturday, Guerin said he believes the American players used the “political flare” as “inspiration” in their game against Canada.
“Canada-U.S. is a huge rivalry in hockey,” he said. “I think there was a little bit of a political flare to it. It’s just the time that we’re in. I think our guys used that as inspiration. If you let it get the better of you, then you’re in trouble. But I really do think the players used it as inspiration.”

NHL 4 Nations Face-Off – United States v Canada

‘We Will All Be Watching’: Trump Calls Team USA Before Hockey Championship Vs. Canada

Canada

Executive

Team USA Women’s Rugby Sevens team finally scored its first-ever Olympic medal on Tuesday when they took home a bronze in an unbelievable finish.
During the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, the U.S. faced off against Australia in a heated game that literally came down to the final 90 seconds of the game, with USA coming away the victor, <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/sports/us-women-earn-first-rugby-sevens-medal-alex-sedricks-long-try-time-exp-rcna164328">NBC News</a> reported.
In clips that have surfaced on <a href="https://x.com/NBCOlympics/status/1818360220009341283">X</a>, USA had fallen to 7-12 behind Australia, when the Aussie’s Maddison Levi went for the conversion and missed. Team USA’s Ariana Ramsey got the ball and threw it to teammate Alex Sedrick, who caught the ball and went on to fight off not one but three Team Australia defenders.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
A FINISH YOU HAVE TO SEE TO BELIEVE! 😱
ALEX SEDRICK LEADS TEAM USA TO THE FIRST-EVER OLYMPIC RUGBY SEVENS MEDAL FOR THE UNITED STATES ON THE FINAL PLAY OF THE GAME! 🥉 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ParisOlympics?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ParisOlympics</a> <a href="https://t.co/1FMu9SWxDo">pic.twitter.com/1FMu9SWxDo</a>
— NBC Olympics &amp; Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBCOlympics/status/1818360220009341283?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 30, 2024</a></blockquote>
It was then off to the races as Sedrick ran the entire length of the rugby pitch with no one even close to catching her. 
In the final seconds, she dove over the line and slid down under the posts to score as her team went wild, bringing the score to 12-12.
It was then up to Sedrick — who isn’t the normal kicker for the team — to make the final kick that went right through the uprights to give USA a 14-12 victory, the outlet noted.
Members of Team USA then gather on the field to hug and celebrate as the crowd goes wild with their historic win.
&#8220;One minute for the rest of her life, that&#8217;s a life changing moment for all of us and for rugby in America,&#8221; said overjoyed prop Kristi Kirshe, a native of Franklin, Massachusetts. &#8220;And thank God, (Sedrick) took off the way she did.&#8221;
Team USA continues making history at the 2024 Olympics. On Sunday, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/american-swimmer-breaks-120-year-old-olympic-record-medals-at-31-while-holding-full-time-job">American swimmer Nic Fink</a> broke a 120-year-old Olympic record when he tied British champion Adam Peaty for the silver medal in the men’s 100-meter breaststroke: he competed — and medaled — in the Olympic Games at the age of 31 while also holding down a day job.
On Monday, American pommel horse specialist Stephen Nedoroscik delivered a great routine to give the US a bronze medal in the team event, marking the first team medal for the U.S. men’s team since 2008, as previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-clark-kent-of-the-pommel-horse-delivers-first-team-medal-for-us-mens-gymnastics-in-16-years">reported</a>.
Virginia Kruta contributed to this piece.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/american-swimmer-breaks-120-year-old-olympic-record-medals-at-31-while-holding-full-time-job" target="_blank" rel="noopener">American Swimmer Breaks 120-Year-Old Olympic Record, Medals At 31 While Holding Full-Time Job</a>

Team USA women’s Rugby7

Team USA Women’s Rugby Sevens Scores First Ever Olympic Medal In Unbelievable Finish

Team USA Women's Rugby7 Scores First Ever Olympic Medal In Unbelievable Finish

Paris

Women

The man suspected of stabbing convicted child molester Larry Nassar earlier this week said he attacked the former Team USA gymnastics doctor after he made a lewd comment about girls, a source <a href="https://apnews.com/article/larry-nassar-gymnastics-coach-stabbing-4ab34526e30c09194e33ee2bd59eb652" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> the Associated Press.
The suspect — who was identified as 49-year-old Shane McMillan — said he was watching the women&#8217;s Wimbledon tennis tournament with Nassar when the child molester said he wanted to see girls play, according to the AP&#8217;s source. McMillan then allegedly attacked Nassar in his cell with a makeshift weapon, stabbing him roughly 10 times in the back and chest before four other inmates reportedly pulled him off of the former doctor. Surveillance cameras did not catch the attack since it happened in Nassar&#8217;s cell and out of the cameras&#8217; view.
Nassar was taken to a hospital after officials at the prison performed life-saving measures on him. The pedophile had a collapsed lung, but he remains in stable condition as of Wednesday.
McMillan was initially sentenced to more than 20 years after pleading guilty to distributing methamphetamine in 2002, but he was then convicted of assaulting a correctional officer in 2006 at a federal penitentiary in Louisiana and attempting to stab another inmate to death at a supermax prison in Colorado in 2011. He is now scheduled to be released in 2046.
Nassar, who treated some of the most well-known figures on the U.S. women’s Olympic gymnastic team, will spend the rest of his life in federal prison after more than 150 women and girls accused him of sexually abusing them over a period of 20 years. The former doctor who worked at Michigan State University <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2018/01/24/us/larry-nassar-sentencing/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">admitted</a> to using his medical position to molest girls. A total of 156 victims spoke out against Nassar in court, including high-profile athletes such as McKayla Maroney, Aly Raisman, Gabby Douglas, Simone Biles, and Rachael Denhollander, who was the first to come forward detailing Nassar’s crimes in 2016.
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Larry Nassar

Prisoner Suspected Of Stabbing Larry Nassar Says Lewd Comment About Watching Girls Provoked Attack: Report

attack

Stabbing

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