The Baseball Hall of Fame’s 2026 class will be set on Jan. 20 when the Baseball Writers’ Association of America voting results are announced in a live show on MLB Network.

Notable first-time players on the ballot include left-handed pitcher Cole Hamels an former MVP Ryan Braun.

Here’s what to know ahead of the voting announcement:

When is Baseball Hall of Fame announcement?

The 2026 Baseball Hall of Fame voting results will be announced on January 20th at 6 p.m. ET on MLB Network.

Baseball Hall of Fame ballot 2026

Holdovers

• Carlos Beltrán (4th year on ballot, 70.3% in 2025)
• Andruw Jones (9th year, 66.2%)
• Chase Utley (3rd year, 39.8%)
• Álex Rodríguez (5th year, 37.1%)
• Manny Ramírez (10th final year, 34.3%)
• Andy Pettitte (8th year, 27.9%)
• Félix Hernández (2nd year, 20.6%)
• Bobby Abreu (7th year, 19.5%)
• Jimmy Rollins (5th year, 18.0%)
• Omar Vizquel (9th year, 17.8%)
• Dustin Pedroia (2nd year, 11.9%)
• Mark Buehrle (6th year, 11.4%)
• Francisco Rodríguez (4th year, 10.2%)
• David Wright (3rd year, 8.1%)
• Torii Hunter (6th year, 5.1%) 

First year on ballot

• Ryan Braun
• Shin-Soo Choo
• Edwin Encarnación
• Gio González
• Alex Gordon
• Cole Hamels
• Matt Kemp
• Howie Kendrick
• Nick Markakis
• Daniel Murphy
• Hunter Pence
• Rick Porcello

Baseball Hall of Fame tracker

Ryan Thibodaux’s Baseball Hall of Fame Voting Tracker is an incredible resource and the entire baseball community appreciates all the work the team puts in to operating the tracker every winter.

Baseball Hall of Fame Voting Tracker 2026

AI-assisted summary
• The San Francisco 49ers defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 23-19 in the NFC wild-card round.
• San Francisco won despite losing tight end George Kittle to an Achilles injury during the game.
• Christian McCaffrey scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns, including the game-winner from Brock Purdy.

PHILADELPHIA − The San Francisco 49ers may have suffered another rattling body blow in the NFC’s final wild-card bout of this postseason, but they still managed to deal the knockout punch to the reigning Super Bowl champions.

On a blustery day in the city where Rocky was deified, the decimated and bloodied Niners – despite losing Pro Bowl tight end and team captain George Kittle to an Achilles injury before halftime – emerged from their corner to defeat the Philadelphia Eagles 23-19. The haymaker came on All-Pro Christian McCaffrey’s second touchdown catch of the fourth quarter, a 4-yard dart from quarterback Brock Purdy with 2:54 to go.

The Eagles were on the ropes at the period’s outset, with 49ers wideout Jauan Jennings – a highly recruited quarterback in high school – throwing a 29-yard TD to McCaffrey on a trick play similar to the one the team used in the Super Bowl two years ago on the first play of the quarter. McCaffrey finished with 114 yards from scrimmage, 66 of them through the air.

Overall, the Niners stacked up 361 yards − 70 better than coach Kyle Shanahan had averaged in four previous matchups with Philly defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, who’d come out on the winning side three times prior to Sunday.

San Francisco will face the top-seeded Seahawks in the Pacific Northwest next weekend, two weeks after losing to them 13-3 in Silicon Valley – a defeat that conferred home-field advantage to Seattle.

The 49ers persevered on a day largely spent without Kittle and one when Ricky Pearsall, the club’s most dynamic wideout, was inactive. They’ve spent most of the season without star defenders Nick Bosa and Fred Warner as well as rookie D-lineman Mykel Williams, a first-round pick last spring. A team that’s lost 74 collective games to injuries to its Week 1 starters is now charged with overcoming its rested divisional rivals.

But history is on San Francisco’s side. In four previous trips to the playoffs under Shanahan, the Niners have never failed to advance at least as far as the NFC title game and reached the Super Bowl twice.

Eagles coach Nick Sirianni suffered his first playoff loss at home after winning his first five at Lincoln Financial Field. Philly’s star-studded offense continued its disjointed pattern from throughout the season, with quarterback Jalen Hurts frequently off target and unable to rally the team on the final drive. It remains to be seen if much-maligned offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo will retain his role.

ST. LOUIS — The U.S. figure skating team for the 2026 Winter Olympics was revealed Sunday after four days of competition at the national championships. 

The roster, comprised of 16 skaters, includes some of the biggest stars in figure skating, including Ilia Malinin, Amber Glenn and Alysa Liu. Veteran ice dance pair Madison Chock and Evan Bates are in for their fourth Games together while Malinin and Glenn will make their Olympic debuts in Italy and Liu is headed for her second Games.

Isabeau Levito grabbed the last spot on the women’s side with Andrew Torgashev and Maxim Naumov joining Malinin on the men’s side.

Here are all the updates and reactions from the U.S. figure skating Olympic team reveal.

Who’s on US figure skating Olympic team?

The U.S. Figure Skating selection process focuses on the athlete’s body of work over the last two seasons.

• Men: Ilia Malinin, Andrew Torgashev, Maxim Naumov
• Women: Amber Glenn, Alysa Liu and Isabeau Levito
• Ice dance: Madison Chock and Evan Bates; Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik; Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko
• Pairs: Ellie Kam and Daniel O’Shea; Emily Chan and Spencer Akira Howe

Ilia Malinin makes first Olympic team

The “Quad God” is ready to shine on Olympic ice. Malinin is arguably the best skater on the planet, fully equipped with an elite arsenal others aren’t able to match, headlined by the quadruple Axel that earned him the nickname. He has dominated the competition, winning every event he’s been in since December 2023, including two World Championships. He will be the favorite to win America its second straight gold in men’s after Nathan Chen did in 2022.

Malinin on making the team: ‘It’s honestly a lot of work internally. A lot of people don’t see it from us because we come out here and perform when you have to be at our best out here for you guys, but it’s really a struggle for us behind the scenes and we all of you appreciate all of our energy and everything we’ve put out here and it just means so much to make this Olympic team.”

Watch our exclusive conversation with Ilia Malinin in the debut episode of ourMilan Magic Olympics podcast. Subscribe and listen:Apple Podcasts |Spotify |Amazon

Amber Glenn makes first Olympic team

After just missing out in 2022, Amber Glenn had a sensational season that left no doubt she would make her first Olympics. A fierce and powerful skater that is among the best in technical skill, she excelled at the U.S. championships for her third consecutive title, the first woman to accomplish the feat since Michelle Kwan. She can win medals at the Games. She is a major mental health advocate and has helped change the conversations about it in figure skating.  

Glenn on the feeling of being an Olympian: ‘It’s doesn’t feel real. I’ve been working at this for so, so long and I wouldn’t be here without the people behind me.’

Alysa Liu makes second Olympic team

Reigning world champion Alysa Liu retired in 2022 and has been nothing but marvelous since returning in 2024. She made a major statement by winning the 2025 world championship and capped off the year by winning the Grand Prix final, assuring she would return to the Olympics. She had two silver medals in the last two U.S. championships. She is very creative in her programs and with her carefree attitude, Liu possess the talent to win some hardware in Milano Cortina.

Liu on how different this feels from 2022: ‘Well, I’m not the youngest this time so I’m feelin’ older. Not really, but I’m really, really good and there’s people in the crowd, so I’m feeling the support.’

Liu on how she feels with this team announcement: ‘At 16, oof, I would’ve been so mad to see me up there,’ she said, motioning to the arena big screen, ‘but me right now, I’m really happy.

Maxim Naumov makes first Olympic team

It was less than a year ago that Maxim Naumov lost his parents in the midair plane crash near Washington, D.C., that devastated the figure skating community. Despite the immense loss, Naumov persevered and put on an incredible performance at the U.S. championships, including an emotional short program.

Naumov was the sentimental favorite to get the third spot on the Olympic team, and he did it. His performance afterward drew a standing ovation from the crowd as the emotions were out inside the Enterprise Center. Naumov covered his face with his hands almost in desbelief after he put on his official Team USA jacket.

Naumov on this moment: ‘We did it. We absolutely did it. God is good. God is good. Every day, year after year, we talked about the Olympics. It means so much in our familly and it’s what I’ve been thinking about since I’m 5 years old … So I can’t say into words how much this means to me.’

Naumov on the support he’s gotten the last year: ‘Unbelievable. Every message, every letter, every call, every text, I see it and it helps me.’

Naumov on what his parents would think of this moment: ‘I really hope that my mom watched because she never used to watch me skate. But they say we’re proud of you, but job’s not finished, we’re just getting started.’

Isabeau Levito lands on first Olympic team

Isabeau Levito, the 2023 national champion, defines beauty and grace on the ice that propelled her to a third place finish at nationals this week. The Olympics will be somewhat of a homecoming for her family as her mom is from Italy and she has family in Milan. She also speaks Italian and Russian.

Levito on what she’ll remember most from this week: ‘How perfect it went in, my opinion. This was my goal and my dream, and it feels so special that it came true.’

Levito on being able to skate in front of family in Italy: ‘Just crazy because this is what we all dream of and they’ve always supported my skating career. Just to be able to watch me in person, in real life, on the biggest stage is just insane.’

Chock and Bates make fourth Olympic team

The ice dance pair of Madison Chock and Evan Bates are headed to their fourth Olympics together. This comes on the heels of winning their fifth straight U.S. title and seventh overall. Their moms gave them their official Team USA jackets as they skated off the ice in a sweet moment.

Bates on what the tears after the free dance were about: ‘These guys,’ he said, motioning to their moms, ‘all of you, I mean, this is so special in an Olympic year to have support.’

Andrew Torgashev makes first Olympic team

Torgashev on the feeling of making the team: ‘The reality is better than what I imagined. My God, this is awesome.’

Torgashev on having his family with him: ‘It’s amazing. These are the peple that have my back through thick and thin, no matter what the weather is, they’re always here. I don’t have the words to extend my appreciation to them and thank you so much.’

Jason Brown misses Olympic team

With Andrew Torgashev and Maxim Naumov announced as two of the men’s skaters, and Ilia Malinin as a lock on the final spot, that means there won’t be a third Olympic appearance for Jason Brown.

It’s a tough break for the figure skating veteran. The beloved skater was the reason Team USA earned three spots in the men’s discipline. Going into U.S. championships, he seemed like a likely choice for the Olympic squad. However, he struggled immensely in the free skate, and it dropped him all the way to an eighth place finish. It ultimately cost him a chance to return to the Olympics.

Emily Chan and Spencer Akira Howe score final pairs spot

No top three finish this week, no problem for Emily Chan and Spencer Akria Howe as they secured the final pairs spot. They’ve had fourth place finishes at the last two U.S. championships.

Chan on how they rallied after the short program: ‘It’s been such a dream, even from the beginning, after what happened and how it ended up. We’ve stuck together and it’s still a dream.’

Howe on taking time off for basic training: ‘I just have to say a big thanks to the Army with that support, and me and Emily, it was a crazy roller coaster and through it all, I told her after the short, ‘Job’s not finished,’ and now here we are. It’s literally a miracle.’

Ellie Kam and Daniel O’Shea celebrate with Pitbull medley

The first Olympic appearance for Kam and O’Shea results in a showcase program that is to a medley of Pitbull. It’s an exciting program full of lifts that includes O’Shea diving underneath Kam’s legs, and they had plenty of family on hand to celebrate the achievement. 

Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik make first Olympic team

Zingas and Kolesnik have turned it up when it mattered, reaching the podium in four of the five events this season, capped off with the second place finish at the 2026 U.S. championships that punctuated the resume to send them to the Olympics. Kolesnik was born in Ukraine and obtained his American citizenship over the summer. They are also a couple, in a relationship since 2022.

Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko snag final ice dance spot

Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko have been in the top five of every event they’ve done since 2024, and they’ve placed in the top five of the past four U.S. championships, including two second place finishes. Their selection comes right on time as Carreira, a Canada native, obtained her American citizenship in November. Before then, they would drive across the Canada-U.S. border every day for practice. 

US figure skating Olympic team alternates

• Women’s alternates: Bradie Tennell, Sarah Everhardt, Starr Andrews
• Men’s alternates: Jason Brown, Tomiki Hiwatashi, Jacob Sanchez
• Pairs alternates: Audrey Shin and Balazs Nagy; Valentina Plazas and Maximiliano Fernandez; Chelsea Liu and Ryan Bedard
• Ice dance alternates: Caroline Green and Michael Parson; Emily Bratti and Ian Somerville; Oona Brown and Gage Brown

Who won U.S. figure skating championships?

Ilia Malinin won the men’s title, Amber Glenn won the women’s crown. In ice dance, Madison Chock and Evan Bates won their seventh national title. In pairs, Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov took the championship.

When do 2026 Winter Olympics start?

The opening ceremony for the Milano Cortina Games is Feb. 6. The closing ceremony is Feb. 22.

‘Quad God’ of figure skating: Ilia Malinin’s nickname

Simply put, Ilia Malinin has the greatest array of jumps any figure skater in history has ever possessed. He’s launched himself into the air for seven quadruple jumps in a single long program at last month’s Grand Prix Final and was the first skater to land a quad Axel.

Malinin’s username used to be Lutz God, but he changed it to Quad God after landing his first quad jump. 

“i didn’t think much about it … Days go by and people started asking, ‘Why’d you name yourself Quad God, you only landed one jump,’’ he said on Milan Magic, USA TODAY’s new Olympics podcast that drops its first episode Saturday. ‘And then I was like, ‘Oh, OK maybe I should be come a Quad God.’ From there I found my rhythm of landing quad after quad after quad and then of course landing the first quad axel.”

“In the most humble way possible, I think it’s definitely helped my confidence in not only to skating in general but just feeling like I deserve to be recognized as who I am.”

Amber Glenn, Alysa Liu on their friendship

USA TODAY Sports’ Jordan Mendoza spoke to Amber Glenn and Alysa Liu on the tight friendship they have formed. Here’s what they said.

What Liu said about Glenn: “She’s just such a big sister to me. The idea that we compete against each other, it’s so weird to me. I really just see her as one of my friends and truly one of my teammates. I don’t know, doing things with her is really fun.”

When Glenn said about Liu: “It’s been great to have someone that has such a positive outlook on skating and on her career around me. And then on the flip side, I have an extra pair of tights if she rips them and doesn’t have a backup, or I have the schedule ready because she doesn’t have it.”

Ilia Malinin’s parents

Malinin was born into figure skating. His mother, Tatiana Malinina, is from the Soviet Union, Siberia specifically, and competed at 10 consecutive world figure skating championships for Uzbekistan. She finished eighth at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, the competition in which Tara Lipinski won the gold medal and Michelle Kwan the silver. Malinina finished fourth at the 1999 world championships as well, and she also competed at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, but withdrew after the short program with the flu.

Malinin’s father, Roman Skorniakov, represented Uzbekistan at the same two Olympics, 1998 and 2002, finishing 19th both times. He and Malinina were married in 2000 and became skating coaches in the United States, moving to the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C., where, in December 2004, Ilia was born. He took the Russian masculine form of his mother’s last name because his parents were concerned that Skorniakov was too difficult to pronounce. 

FOXBOROUGH, MA – In Mike Vrabel’s words, and his world, January football – the NFL playoffs in layman’s terms – are for the big dogs.  

And bloody lips, apparently. 

The New England Patriots head coach was on the receiving end of a celebratory head-butt from a helmeted Milton Williams late in the Pats’ 16-3 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday in the wild-card round. 

“We talked to them about spilling some blood out there, that the big dogs come out in January,” Vrabel said. “I think Milt took that to heart in the way he played the game, in the way he finished the game. He came over and got me pretty good.” 

New England will host the winner of the Pittsburgh Steelers-Houston Texans game (Monday, 8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABC) next weekend. It was the Patriots’ first postseason win since Tom Brady and Bill Belichick defeated the Los Angeles Rams, 13-3, in Super Bowl 53. This time, it was Vrabel’s unit holding a different team from Los Angeles to three points. 

Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert, playing behind a banged-up and beleaguered offensive line for the final time this season, wasn’t bloodied as much as he was battered. The Patriots racked up 11 hits and six sacks across 31 dropbacks, with the signal-caller taking off on 10 rushing attempts (for 57 yards) on top of that. Herbert finished 19-for-31 with 159 passing yards. 

The final Patriots sack, by Williams on fourth down with less than two minutes remaining, is what sent the first-year Patriot to the sideline in a frenzy. Vrabel had brought up the “big dog” mantra in the first meeting of the week to him and fellow defensive lineman Christian Barmore. 

“We were hearing it all week,” said Williams, who won Super Bowl 59 as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles last season. “We showed up.” 

Williams’ was receptive to Vrabel’s patented needling.  

“I was like ‘All right, talk that (expletive), I want to hear it,’” he said. “I like when people talk (expletive), so I can – gives me a little extra juice.” 

Which resulted in him head-butting everybody – even his helmet-less coach.

“He’ll be all right,” Williams said. 

Patriots beat Chargers without MVP version of Drake Maye 

There were 26 touchdowns scored in the first four games of NFL wild-card weekend. Only one was needed to put the game decidedly in the hands of the Patriots. Quarterback Drake Maye hit tight end Hunter Henry with a perfect pass near the front-left pylon that turned a one-possession game into a two-score game with 9:15 remaining. 

For a quarterback who finished with the best competition percentage in the league and highest in team history (72.0), the final stat line – 17-for-29 for 268 yards through the air – will make his passing performance look better than the game tape. It was an inauspicious start for Maye in his playoff debut. The second-year signal-caller’s first halves have contained the bulk of his production in his MVP-contending campaign. Twenty-one of his 31 passing touchdowns and three of his four rushing scores came in the first half of games in 2025. But he was 6-for-15 in the first half with 95 passing yards, 48 of those coming on a checkdown to Rhamondre Stevenson. 

His legs were the deciding factor against the Chargers. As the first half concluded, he relied on his wheels – once to sneak for a first down, another to take off to move the chains again for a pickup of 8. The most effective rush was a 37-yard scramble – the longest run by a quarterback in Pats history – into the red zone to set up Andy Borregales’ 35-yard field goal to close out the first half and give New England a 6-3 advantage. 

“Bittersweet the season ended like this,” Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen said. “Definitely felt like we had a team that was capable of making a run for it.” 

The Chargers’ defense, meanwhile, kept the team in the game for nearly all 60 minutes. Two takeaways – one tipped interception and one strip-sack of Maye – were vital in that effort. But the Chargers were 1-for-10 on third down. The interception, induced by Teair Tart putting his hands up and deflecting it to Derwin James, who bobbled the ball that was finally hauled in by Daiyan Henley, set the Chargers up 10 yards from the end zone. 

“We got to take care of the football,” Vrabel said of his quarterback’s performance. “Thought he came through when we needed him. The tipped pass is something that was unfortunate. That turned into an interception. But the throw to Hunter I thought when we needed him was elite.”

Jim Harbaugh kept his offense on the field on fourth down instead of settling for a field goal and the Patriots came up with a key red-zone stop; the Chargers were 0-for-2 in the red zone. 

“We have to do better than three points,” Herbert said. “As an offense, it’s got good enough. Quarterback play wasn’t good enough. We let the defense down today.” 

New England outgained Los Angeles 381-207. Vrabel credited inside linebackers coach Zak Kuhr for coming up with the game plan and calling the defensive plays. 

“They won the game for us,” Maye said of the Patriots’ defense. “I didn’t throw very well tonight. Need to be better. We did what we had to do. That’s what it takes in the playoffs. Proud of this team. That was fun to get one at home. Look forward to being back here next week.”

Herbert has been navigating a broken left hand for the last month of the season. His offensive line that had been without its best players (tackles Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater) for most, if not all (as in Slater’s case), of the season. 

Maye had 55 rushing yards on 5 carries to sustain the Pats in the first half. He was the game’s leading rusher with 69 rushing yards on 7 attempts (prior to the three ceremonial kneel-down attempts to run out the clock) and avoided a relentless Chargers pass rush despite taking five sacks. 

And he showed off his elite arm talent, with a trio of intermediate touch passes against Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter’s zone-heavy scheme that went for chunk gains – including the touchdown to Henry. 

There have been plenty of “MVP” chants for Maye at Gillette Stadium this season. The ones following his touchdown toss to Henry were the loudest.

The Green Bay Packers have officially entered their offseason, and after a loss to the Chicago Bears in the NFL playoffs, the biggest question remains: What will become of head coach Matt LaFleur?

LaFleur’s contract with the Packers reportedly runs through the end of the 2026 season, and no coach, executive or player enjoys the security – or lack thereof – of a one-year deal.

But, as it goes, plans change in the NFL. Could the wild-card loss vs. the Bears be the last that LaFleur coaches for the Packers?

Here’s what the Packers head coach said about his job security following the loss:

Will the Packers fire Matt LaFleur?

LaFleur’s job security entering the Packers’ matchup against the Bears in the wild-card round was seemingly strong, with the two sides reportedly set to discuss a contract extension that would keep him in Green Bay beyond 2026.

Rapoport added that LaFleur wouldn’t be ‘coaching for his job’ on Saturday night.

The head coach didn’t want to speak on his contract status or potential negotiations in the immediate aftermath of the loss to the Bears.

‘With all due respect to your question, Pete, now’s not the time for that,’ LaFleur said. ‘I’m just hurting for these guys. I can only think about what just happened, and there will be time for that.’

LaFleur didn’t answer further questions positing his job status or the team’s confidence in him, but said that being the head coach of the Packers ‘means everything’ to him.

If there’s any consolation for LaFleur, it’s that Packers president Ed Policy isn’t necessarily in favor of a coach entering a season on an expiring contract.

“I’m generally opposed – I’d never say never – [but] I’m generally opposed to a coach or GM going into the last year of their contract,’ Policy said in June 2025. ‘That creates a lot of issues. I think normally you have a pretty good idea of where that relationship is going when you have two years left – not always, but normally.

‘So I think generally speaking I would avoid ‘lame-duck’ status. It’s oftentimes difficult on everybody involved. But there are certain situations that probably call for it, so I would not say never.’

Could the team’s standing with LaFleur be one of those ‘certain situations?’ Only time will tell.

Matt LaFleur record

Under LaFleur’s watch, the Packers have been one of the most consistent franchises in the NFL. He has an overall record of 76-40-1 and has one season where the Packers have been sub-.500.

Here’s the year-by-year breakdown:

• 2019: 13-3, won NFC North, lost NFC championship
• 2020: 13-3, won NFC North, lost NFC championship
• 2021: 13-4, won NFC North, lost NFC divisional round
• 2022: 8-9, third place in NFC North
• 2023: 9-8, second place in NFC North, lost NFC divisional round
• 2024: 11-6, third place in NFC North, lost wild-card round
• 2025: 9-7-1, third place in NFC North, lost wild-card round

ST. LOUIS — For more than a decade, the U.S. championships have become the playground of Madison Chock and Evan Bates.

It’s felt like the top step of the ice dance podium has had a sign that read “Reserved for Madison Chock and Evan Bates,” like Larry Bird showing up to the 1986 3-point contest and asking, “Who’s coming in second?”

At the 2026 U.S. figure skating championships on Saturday, they took their place on that very same top step, cementing themselves as the great American ice dance dynasty. It is their seventh national title, breaking a tie with Meryl Davis and Charlie White for most all-time.

‘The feeling that we got front he audience today was unlike anything I’ve ever felt before,’ Chock said after, tears welling in her eyes. ‘It felt so special, I felt so much love and joy and I’m so grateful for this moment to share with everyone here and to share with Evan. It’s been the most incredible, incredible career. Couldn’t have asked for anything more.’

In typical fashion, Chock and Bates set themselves up for success by rocking their short program. They earned a season-best score of 91.70 on Thursday, nearly six points ahead of Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik in second place, a comfortable margin for the pair.

The quality of their free dance program meant only a monumental mess would have left wiggle room for other competitors.

But their free skate felt more like a coronation than a competition. The “Paint it Black” program features Chock as a matadora and Bates as a bull, and they brought the intensity, highlighted by their step sequence that brought out the fairy Paso Doble influence that had the crowd in awe.

Ultimately, their free dance yielded a double-digit victory. Chock and Bates finished with a program score of 137.17 and a total score of 228.87, 15.22 points than the second place team of Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik.

‘I think our performance today was definitely the best that we’ve skated the free dance all year,’ Bates said. ‘It’s a great feeling going into a big event knowing that you’ve skated well at the previous competition.’

It’s pretty much a full circle moment for Chock. She recalled watching Davis and White, as well as Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto, growing up and idolizing them. Little did she know that she would one day surpass their records.

‘I really took that to heart and let it guide me and lead me,’ she said. ‘Hopefully we can leave a little bit of that legacy for the next generation and keep the love for the sport going.’

Here is the full picture of their excellence: This was their sixth championship in the last seven years; all of their titles have come in the past 12 years; they’ve competed in the past 15 U.S. championships; they’ve finished on the podium the last 14 times — and only one of those was a third-place finish.

However, when they were reminded of all the winning they had been doing at the U.S. Championships, Bates thought of how difficult it was to win their second title in 2020 after their first in 2015, how it wasn’t an easy ride to get to this point.

‘Those years where we felt the struggle set us up for this run now we’ve been enjoying for the last few years. The domestic rivalries that we had through that span of time sharpened us for international competition,’ he said.

All that’s missing from their decorated career is that Olympic medal. At the 2026 Milano Cortina Games, they will be determined to come out on top at their fourth Olympics.

‘We know what to do,’ Chock said. ‘We have our plan. We’re executing it, and we don’t plan on deviating from it. We’re going to stick to it, trust ourselves, trust our team, and do what we know how to do.’

ST. LOUIS — Ilia Malinin won his fourth consecutive U.S. figure skating championship on Saturday, the “Quad God” bringing the crowd to its feet in his final competition before he makes his Olympic debut at the 2026 Milano Cortina Games.

The free skate earned him a 209.78, bringing his championship-winning score to 324.88, a whopping 57.26 points ahead of second-place Andrew Torgashev and 75.72 points ahead of third-place Maxim Naumov. Malinin, who’s been breaking in new skates, did three quad jumps in his free skate, what he called playing it safe.

“I was coming into this one, I was a little unsure what I was gonna do, so I decided not to go for any risks and I wanted to play it safe because I know that hopefully in a few weeks I’ll have to go again,’ he said.

He said he will ‘really try to get comfortable with (the new skates), and I’m sure in a few weeks they’ll be in perfect condition, so I’m really looking forward to that process.”

Earlier Saturday, the ice dance duo of Madison Chock and Evan Bates captured their seventh national title, an all-time record. It’s their fifth consecutive championship and it propels them to their fourth Olympic games together. U.S. Figure Skating will announce the 2026 Olympic team on Sunday.

‘The feeling that we got from the audience today was unlike anything I’ve ever felt before,’ Chock said after, tears welling in her eyes. ‘It felt so special, I felt so much love and joy and I’m so grateful for this moment to share with everyone here and to share with Evan. It’s been the most incredible, incredible career. Couldn’t have asked for anything more.’

Watch our exclusive conversation with Ilia Malinin in the debut episode of ourMilan Magic Olympics podcast. Subscribe and listen:Apple Podcasts |Spotify |Amazon

Check out all the results and highlights from Day 4 of nationals below.

US figure skating championships results, standings

Here are the overall men’s standings.

1. Ilia Malinin: 324.88
2. Andrew Torgashev: 267.62
3. Maxim Naumov: 249.16
4. Jacob Sanchez: 249.07
5. Tomoki Hiwatashi: 247.24
6. Liam Kapeikis: 235.13
7. Daniel Martynov: 229.95
8. Jason Brown: 227.52
9. Lucius Kazanecki: 227.07
10. Kai Kovar: 225.75
11. Jimmy Ma: 225.71
12. Lorenzo Elano: 213.34
13. Goku Endo: 203.42
14. Michael Xie: 196.78
15. Samuel Mindra: 190.04
16. Emmanuel Savary: 188.14
17. Will Annis: 175.80
18. Ken Mikawa: 145.91

Here are the free skate scores.

• Ilia Malinin: 209.78 total segment score, 116.17 technical elements score, 93.61 program components score.
• Andrew Torgashev: 182.63 total segment score, 95.69 technical elements score, 86.94 program components score.
• Jacob Sanchez: 167.80 total segment score, 85.24 technical elements score, 82.56 program components score.
• Maxim Naumov: 163.44 total segment score, 80.08 technical elements score, 83.36 program components score.
• Tomoki Hiwatashi: 157.98 total segment score, 76.29 technical elements score, 81.69 program components score.
• Liam Kapeikis: 156.27 total segment score, 79.46 technical elements score, 76.81 program components score.
• Lucius Kazanecki: 151.35 total segment score, 78.95 technical elements score, 72.40 program components score.
• Jimmy Ma: 150.15 total segment score, 73.96 technical elements score, 77.19 program components score.
• Kai Kovar: 148.84 total segment score, 73.41 technical elements score, 75.43 program components score.
• Daniel Martynov: 148.32 total segment score, 73.56 technical elements score, 75.76 program components score.
• Lorenzo Elano: 141.69 total segment score, 69.19 technical elements score, 73.50 program components score.
• Jason Brown: 139.03 total segment score, 58.98 technical elements score, 82.05 program components score.
• Michael Xie: 136.83 total segment score, 72.40 technical elements score, 64.43 program components score.
• Goku Endo: 130.74 total segment score, 56.91 technical elements score, 73.83 program components score.
• Emmanuel Savary: 127.93 total segment score, 59.63 technical elements score, 70.30 program components score.
• Samuel Mindra: 125.02 total segment score, 53.76 technical elements score, 71.26 program components score.
• Will Annis: 120.85 total segment score, 56.27 technical elements score, 64.58 program components score.
• Ken Mikawa: 94.22 total segment score, 40.04 technical elements score, 55.18 program components score.

Ilia Malinin ‘Quad God’ nickname

Simply put, Ilia Malinin has the greatest array of jumps any figure skater in history has ever possessed. He’s launched himself into the air for seven quadruple jumps in a single long program at last month’s Grand Prix Final and was the first skater to land a quad Axel.

Malinin’s username used to be Lutz God, but he changed it to Quad God after landing his first quad jump. 

“I didn’t think much about it … Days go by and people started asking, ‘Why’d you name yourself Quad God, you only landed one jump,’’ he said on Milan Magic, USA TODAY’s new Olympics podcast that drops its first episode Saturday. ‘And then I was like, ‘Oh, OK maybe I should be come a Quad God.’ From there I found my rhythm of landing quad after quad after quad and then of course landing the first quad axel.”

“In the most humble way possible, I think it’s definitely helped my confidence in not only to skating in general but just feeling like I deserve to be recognized as who I am.”

Andrew Torgashev dazzles, then gets pizza

We’ve reached the point of the lineup where the fight is on for the final men’s spots in the Olympics, and Andrew Torgashev made his case with a big statement.

He had an exceptional skate, starting with two quad toeloops to get the rhythm going and closing it with a tough choreo sequence. He got a standing ovation, and then got a box of pizza to celebrate it.

He received a season-best 182.63, and is now in first with a combined score of 267.62.

Jacob Sanchez’s emotional free skate

The future is bright for Jacob Sanchez, as the 18-year-old put on an exceptional performance in his free skate to take first place through Group 2. He began to cry once he completed his program as the crown serenaded him with an ovation. He was then greeted by his family just outside the rink as they waved their Puerto Rican flags.

Sanchez has had a meteoric rise since joining the senior ranks in November 2024, putting himself in the conversation for the third and final men’s spot on the Olympic team. Regardless of whether he makes it, Sanchez is making a name for himself and will be one to watch in the next Olympic cycle.

Madison Chock and Evan Bates win 7th US figure skating championship

Madison Chock and Evan Bates have another ice dance record.

The husband-and-wife duo have been on the podium at U.S. nationals every year since 2013. They have won five straight ice dance titles. And now they hold the record for most U.S. titles of all time, breaking a tie with Meryl Davis and Charlie White for most all-time.

‘The feeling that we got from the audience today was unlike anything I’ve ever felt before,’ Chock said after, tears welling in her eyes. ‘It felt so special, I felt so much love and joy and I’m so grateful for this moment to share with everyone here and to share with Evan. It’s been the most incredible, incredible career. Couldn’t have asked for anything more.’

Ultimately, their free dance yielded a double-digit victory — a program score of 137.17 and a total score of 228.87, 15.22 points than the second place team of Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik.

It’s just the latest feat in what’s been a dominant season for the married couple. Since the start of 2025, they have won all but one of the seven competitions they entered, including winning the Grand Prix final in December for the third straight year.

The couple’s return to the Winter Olympics is all but official, making Milano Cortina their fourth Games. The only thing that’s eludes them in their decorated careers is that ice dance Olympic medal after finishing just short of the podium in 2022.

Ilia Malinin’s parents

Malinin was born into figure skating. His mother, Tatiana Malinina, is from the Soviet Union, Siberia specifically, and competed at 10 consecutive world figure skating championships for Uzbekistan. She finished eighth at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, the competition in which Tara Lipinski won the gold medal and Michelle Kwan the silver. Malinina finished fourth at the 1999 world championships as well, and she also competed at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, but withdrew after the short program with the flu.

Malinin’s father, Roman Skorniakov, represented Uzbekistan at the same two Olympics, 1998 and 2002, finishing 19th both times. He and Malinina were married in 2000 and became skating coaches in the United States, moving to the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C., where, in December 2004, Ilia was born. He took the Russian masculine form of his mother’s last name because his parents were concerned that Skorniakov was too difficult to pronounce. 

Who is on the US Olympic figure skating team?

The team will be named on Sunday at 2 p.m. Three men and three women singles skaters will be chosen, as will three ice dance teams and two pairs, 16 athletes in all. The USFS selection process includes past performances, focusing on the athlete’s body of work over the past two seasons.

Ilia Malinin, Amber Glenn, Alysa Liu and Isabeau Levito are roster locks, as are Madison Chock and Evan Bates. That leaves two spots open on the men’s side, two ice dance team spots and both pairs spots.

How does Ilia Malinin train for his quad jumps?

Malinin shared with Christine Brennan and Brian Boitano on Milan Magic, USA TODAY’s new Olympics podcast that drops its first episode Saturday, that he likes to skate a full program at least once a day, but that doesn’t mean every jump in that practice session must be a quad. It depends on how his body feels.

“For me, at least the standard base can be all triple jumps, just to keep that stamina, just to keep that stamina in there. But then, of course, depending on how I feel or how the training is going, then I can say, ‘Maybe tomorrow I can go for a full quad layout or maybe do a full quad and the rest can be triples.’ 

“I think the main focus for me is just running the whole program in itself with all the jumps, all the spins and really just getting that muscle memory in your head because I think a lot of the times, especially with me, if I do a certain amount of triple jumps and I feel comfortable with it, then I can go and the quad jumps will get a little easier for me because I’ve been practicing that muscle memory for a while.”

Ice dance overall standings

1. Madison Chock and Evan Bates: 228.87
2. Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik: 213.65
3. Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko: 206.95
4. Caroline Green and Michael Parsons: 202.05
5. Emily Bratti and Ian Somerville: 197.29
6. Oona Brown and Gage Brown: 194.31
7. Katarina Wolfkostin and Dimitry Tsarevski: 186.60
8. Leah Neset and Artem Markelov: 176.46
9. Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani: 173.17
10. Amy Cui and Jonathan Rogers: 172.39
11. Eva Pate and Logan Bye: 170.49
12. Elliana Peal and Ethan Peal: 169.60
13. Raffaella Koncius and Alexey Shchepetov: 166.62
14. Isabella Flores and Linus Colmor: 160.75
15. Vanessa Pham and Anton Spiridonov: 158.62

Here are the free dance scores.

• Madison Chock and Evan Bates: 137.17 total segment score, 77.89 technical elements score, 59.28 program components score.
• Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik: 127.67 total segment score, 72.17 technical elements score, 55.50 program components score.
• Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko: 123.66 total segment score, 69.24 technical elements score, 54.42 program components score.
• Oona Brown and Gage Brown: 118.59 total segment score, 67.15 technical elements score, 51.44 program components score.
• Emily Bratti and Ian Somerville: 117.86 total segment score, 66.38 technical elements score, 51.48 program components score.
• Katarina Wolfkostin and Dimitry Tsarevski: 111.61 total segment score, 62.33 technical elements score, 49.28 program components score.
• Leah Neset and Artem Markelov: 105.18 total segment score, 57.74 technical elements score, 47.44 program components score.
• Amy Cui and Jonathan Rogers: 104.79 total segment score, 59.23 technical elements score, 45.56 program components score.
• Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani: 101.93 total segment score, 54.63 technical elements score, 47.30 program components score.
• Raffaella Koncius and Alexey Shchepetov: 101.47 total segment score, 57.27 technical elements score, 44.20 program components score.
• Elliana Peal and Ethan Peal: 100.00 total segment score, 55.38 technical elements score, 44.62 program components score.
• Vanessa Pham and Anton Spiridonov: 97.21 total segment score, 54.07 technical elements score, 43.14 program components score.
• Eva Pate and Logan Bye: 96.95 total segment score, 51.15 technical elements score, 46.80 program components score.
• Isabella Flores and Linus Colmor Jepsen: 94.38 total segment score, 51.44 technical elements score, 42.94 program components score.
• Caroline Green and Michael Parsons: 121.50 total segment score, 68.06 technical elements score, 53.44 program components score.

Ice dancing vs. figure skating

Ice dancing does not feature jumps or lifts, like you see figure skating pairs execute. Ice dancing is made up of two segments, the rhythm dance and the free dance.

How does Ilia Malinin come up with his programs?

It takes an innovative mind to be as sensational as Malinin, and his creative process is far from ordinary. He said much of it comes from his love of gymnastics and acrobatics, which is the reason why he’s able to perform so much stunning jumps.

“It really pushes me to push the envelope in skating, not only just in a performance aspect, but also give it even more athleticism, other than all the jumps, all the spins and all of the hard things,” he said. “It gives me a lot of fun, but at the same time, I feel like it’s very useful for the sport to bring in something new, so everyone has something unique to watch.”

When do 2026 Winter Olympics start?

The opening ceremony for the Milano Cortina Games is Feb. 6. The closing ceremony is Feb. 22.

Milan Magic: Listen on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

The Chicago Bears’ improbable 31-27 home victory over the Green Bay Packers capped off a wild first day of NFL playoff action with a wave of celebration in the Windy City.

A Jordan Love fumble of the snap, wild scramble and eventual incompletion sealed Chicago’s first playoff victory in 15 years, sending the Bears to an NFC divisional round matchup against either Philadelphia Eagles or Los Angeles Rams.

But first, there was the party in Chicago. Here are the best sights and sounds from the conclusion of the Jan. 10 wild card playoff game.

A fumble, scramble and heave: See the Packers’ last gasp against the Bears

Love and the Packers had a final chance to win the game from the Bears’ 28-yard line, but it certainly didn’t go as planned:

Rome Odunze takes down Ben Johnson in Bears’ celebration

The Bears’ rookie receiver and coach enjoyed the win together, with Johnson ending up on the Soldier Field turf.

AI-assisted summary
• The Los Angeles Rams defeated the Carolina Panthers 34-31 to advance in the playoffs.
• Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford threw for 304 yards and three touchdowns, including the game-winning score.
• Rams receiver Puka Nacua had 10 catches for 111 yards and two total touchdowns.
• The Rams defense stopped the Panthers on all three of their fourth-down attempts.

The Los Angeles Rams are moving on to the divisional round of the playoffs.

Matthew Stafford and the Rams survived a 34-31 thriller Jan. 10 against the Carolina Panthers to advance to the divisional round.

The Panthers overcame a 14-0 deficit in the first half to climb back into the lead twice, the final time after a Carolina blocked punt sparked a TD drive and 31-27 lead late in the fourth quarter.

The Rams had time and the ball, however, and Stafford engineered a seven-play, 71-yard touchdown drive capped off by a beautiful pass to tight end Colby Parkinson to save the Rams’ season.

USA TODAY Sports examines the winners and losers from the wild-card game in Charlotte:

Winners

Matthew Stafford comes up clutch

The Rams veteran was up and down for much of the game. He injured his finger late in the second quarter and struggled for parts of the second half, but he led the Rams on a go-ahead touchdown drive in the fourth quarter.

Stafford is the fifth player in NFL history to have at least 300 passing yards in seven playoff games.

He averaged a league-best 276.9 passing yards per game in the regular season and threw an NFL-best and career-high 46 touchdown passes.

Rams’ fourth-down defense

The Panthers converted all three of their fourth-down attempts in a Week 13 upset win over the Rams. But Carolina’s fourth-down success rate went in the opposite direction in the wild-card game. The Panthers went 0-for-3 on fourth downs in the loss.

The Rams defense stopped Carolina on a desperation fourth down to seal the win. The unit gave up 333 total yards but stood tall on fourth downs.

Panthers’ punt-block unit

The Rams’ special teams unit has been a sore spot the entire year, and special teams hurt the Rams again against the Panthers.

Panthers linebacker Isaiah Simmons blocked Ethan Evans’ punt in the fourth quarter. The Panthers offense reached the end zone four plays later to take a 31-27 lead.  

The Rams have to shore up their special teams if they want to keep advancing in the playoffs.

Puka Nacua leads Rams passing attack

Nacua had three catches, 40 yards and a touchdown on the Rams’ opening drive. Targeting Nacua was a point of emphasis for the Rams all game.

The Rams wideout caught a backwards pass from Matthew Stafford, made couple moves by defenders and found the end zone to give L.A. a 14-0 advantage in the second quarter.

Nacua did have a crucial drop late in that second quarter that could’ve been a touchdown. However, he made up for the drop when he later dislodged a football that would’ve resulted in a Stafford interception. The Rams would end up scoring a touchdown on the possession.

Nacua finished with a game-high 10 catches for 111 yards, one touchdown catch and one rushing TD.

Losers

Trevor Etienne

The Panthers had a little momentum after a defensive stop and were able to take over possession of the football in the second quarter. But Etienne muffed a punt that was recovered by Rams special teamer Troy Reeder at Carolina’s 41-yard line.

The football bounced off Etienne face mask, and the fumble cost the Panthers a potential scoring opportunity.

Rams’ third-down efficiency in first half

The Rams had an opportunity to build a big first-half lead. Carolina had two first-half turnovers and turned the ball over on downs once. But Los Angeles went 1-for-6 on third downs and had issues sustaining drives, allowing the Panthers to claw back into the game.

The Rams converted only three of 13 third down chances overall.

Panthers run game

Carolina couldn’t get its ground game going. The Panthers averaged just 3.8 yards per carry, and their three three rushing touchdowns came on short yardage situations. Chuba Hubbard led the team with 46 of their 83 rushing yards.

Rams penalties

The Rams were the least-penalized team in the NFL during the regular season.

On Saturday, though, the Rams were flagged for nine penalties for 83 yards. They were lucky the penalties didn’t comeback to bite them.