Suburban Chicago skater Danny O’Shea, alongside partner Ellie Kam, skated one of the best skates of his career at the 2026 Olympics and as he walked off the ice, he turned to the cameras and shared a message for those at home.
O’Shea and Kam needed to perform to keep Team USA in gold medal contention — and they exceeded all expectations. The pressure was clear and the two grew emotional as they finished their best skate ever, doing so while on Olympic ice.
“To those watching at home: thank you for believing in us,” O’Shea said as he exited the rink.
For O’Shea, the moment was everything. At age 34, the Gurnee native is skating in his first Olympics, but Sunday’s performance marked what would likely be his only shot at a medal — and he went on to win gold.
“It means everything,” he said. “It’s so amazing. It’s those moments that you’ve dreamed of since you were a little kid.”
O’Shea, a graduate of Saint Viator High School in Arlington Heights and a Gurnee native, said he was “overwhelmed with words and a different type of overwhelm with emotion.”
O’Shea and Kam’s skate marked a redemptive moment for the duo after they came in fifth during the team short programs after a brief fall. Landing their jumps and throws, the pair’s elite lifts highlighted an already unexpected performance.
“I have chills,” Olympic gold medalist Tara Lipinski said as the duo outskated expectations.
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The two ended with a score of 135.36, a personal best that left them in fourth place in the pairs free skate.
“I haven’t seen them skate like that ever. That was Olympic energy,” Lipinski said. “They were unstoppable.”
“That was the most fantastic skate I’ve seen from them,” Olympian and fellow commentator Johnny Weir said. “Absolutely stunning from start to finish.”
Followed by women’s skater Amber Glenn and American phenom Ilia Malinin in the men’s skate, Team USA defended its gold-medal status Sunday with a nail-biting finish.
Full figure skating schedule
Date/time (ET)EventStreamFriday, Feb. 6, 4-5:35 a.m.Team Event: Rhythm DancePeacock, NBCOlympics.comFriday, Feb. 6, 5:35-7:35 a.m.Team Event: Pairs Short ProgramPeacock, NBCOlympics.comFriday, Feb. 6, 7:35-8:55 a.m.Team Event: Women’s Short ProgramPeacock, NBCOlympics.comSaturday, Feb. 7, 1:45-3:15 p.m.Team Event: Men’s Short ProgramPeacock, NBCOlympics.comSaturday, Feb. 7, 4-5 p.m.Team Event: Free DancePeacock, NBCOlympics.comSunday, Feb. 8, 1:30-2:45 p.m.Team Event: Pairs Free SkatePeacock, NBCOlympics.comSunday, Feb. 8, 2:45-3:55 p.m.Team Event: Women’s Free SkatePeacock, NBCOlympics.comSunday, Feb. 8, 3:55-5 p.m.Team Event: Men’s Free SkatePeacock, NBCOlympics.comMonday, Feb. 9, 1:20-2:40 p.m.Rhythm Dance on USA:Groups 1 & 2 Peacock, NBCOlympics.comMonday, Feb. 9, 2:40-5 p.m.Rhythm Dance on NBC:Groups 3, 4 & 5Peacock, NBCOlympics.comTuesday, Feb. 10, 12:30-2:10 p.m.Men’s Short Program on USA:Groups 1 & 2Peacock, NBCOlympics.comTuesday, Feb. 10, 1:45-5 p.m.Men’s Short Program on NBC:Groups 3, 4 & 5Peacock, NBCOlympics.comWednesday, Feb. 11, 1:30-2:15 p.m.Free Dance on USA:Group 1Peacock, NBCOlympics.comWednesday, Feb. 11, 2:15-5 p.m.Free Dance on NBC: Groups 2, 3 & 4Peacock, NBCOlympics.comFriday, Feb. 13, 1-2:50 p.m.Men’s Free Skate on USA:Groups 1 & 2Peacock, NBCOlympics.comFriday, Feb. 13, 3-5 p.m.Men’s Free Skate on NBC:Groups 3 & 4Peacock, NBCOlympics.comSunday, Feb. 15, 1:45-3:10 p.m.Pairs Short on USA:Groups 1 &2Peacock, NBCOlympics.comSunday, Feb. 15, 3-5 p.m.Pairs Short on NBC:Groups 3, 4 & 5Peacock, NBCOlympics.comMonday, Feb. 16, 2-4:15 p.m.Pairs Free on USA:Groups 1 & 2Peacock, NBCOlympics.comMonday, Feb. 16, 3:55-5 p.m.Pairs Free on NBC:Groups 3 & 4Peacock, NBCOlympics.comTuesday, Feb. 17, 12:45-3:10 p.m.Women’s Short on USA:Groups 1 & 2Peacock, NBCOlympics.comTuesday, Feb. 17, 2:40-5 p.m.Women’s Short on NBC:Groups 3, 4 & 5Peacock, NBCOlympics.comThursday, Feb. 19, 1-5:10 p.m.Women’s Free Skate on NBCPeacock, NBCOlympics.comSaturday, Feb. 21, 2-4:30 p.m.Exhibition GalaPeacock, NBCOlympics.comThis story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.
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