It’s been more than 10 days of Olympic figure skating and it’s finally time to get excited for the start of the women’s event. 

U.S. fans can look forward to seeing all three self-monikered "Blade Angels" — the trio of Amber Glenn, Alysa Liu and Isabeau Levito — on Olympic ice in the short program on Tuesday. They’re being called the strongest American women's contingent ever sent to an Olympic Games, and looking at just a few stats, it’s not hard to see why: 

• All three have been national champions
• Two have been world medalists (gold for Liu in 2025, and silver for Levito in 2024)
• Two have been Grand Prix Final Champions (Liu in 2025 and Glenn in 2024)

Taken individually or as a group, they present a high hope for the U.S. to take at least one medal in the women's event at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympic Games. But which will deliver? It's hard to guess — each one brings a very different energy and skill set. 

Glenn arrives in Milan having snagged a third consecutive U.S. national gold in January — the first woman to take three titles since Michelle Kwan. Making her Olympic debut at 26, she is the de facto big sister of the team, and the oldest American woman to compete in the event since 1928. In many ways, she is the complete package. Her programs include a triple Axel — she's one of the few women bringing the technically demanding jump — giving her one of the higher potential base values in the competition. But Glenn has had to fight through managing nerves in the past, often failing to show judges and audiences what she is capable of when the pressure became too intense. However, her results the past few seasons have shown this is largely behind her.

Liu is a former prodigy who captured a U.S. title at just 13, and the Milan Cortina Games are her second Olympics. She was the third U.S. woman to land a triple axel, and the first to land a quad in competition. She earned 6th in the Beijing Olympics, and it seemed like her trajectory had no limits. Then, to the surprise of the figure skating world, at 16, she walked away from it all. But two years later she found herself drawn back to the ice. She began training, and less than a year after her return, she won the World Championships in an absolutely stunning return. Now 20, she snagged a silver and a gold at her Grand Prix this season, as well as the title at the Grand Prix Final.

Levito is the youngest member of Team USA's figure skating contingent, and she brings yet a different presence to the ice. Refined, lyrical, and known for her classical lines and balletic quality, she's capable of racking up high component scores, and while she doesn’t have some of the high-base-value jumps of her main competitors, she is frequently consistent, pulling ahead when her competitors' volatility work against them. This season, her programs — a Sophia Loren medley and "Cinema Paradiso" by Ennio Morricone — carry personal resonance drawing on her Italian heritage, with family ties that trace back to Milan. While she’s flown somewhat under the radar, Levito outskated Liu in the free skate at U.S. Nationals. If she repeats that level of execution, a podium finish is not out of the question.

Japan brings formidable depth of its own, anchored by Kaori Sakamoto alongside Mone Chiba and Ami Nakai.

Fresh off two 1st-place finishes in the figure skating team event last week, Sakamoto enters her third Olympic Games as the most experienced competitor in the field and the reigning benchmark of women’s skating. At 25, she’s skating what is expected to be her final competitive season, with programs clearly designed for Olympic moments. No Japanese woman has won Olympic gold since Shizuka Arakawa in 2006, and Sakamoto carries that history with her to Milan.

Chiba brings elegance and musical sensitivity, even if her technical content doesn’t match the sport’s highest ceilings. She was the only woman to sweep both of her Grand Prix assignments earlier this season, though under-rotation calls have occasionally held her back.

Nakai, just 17, is the breakout talent. She has considerable firepower, with triple Axels in both programs, and she’s already beaten Sakamoto twice this season. Consistency remains the question mark, but if she delivers cleanly, she instantly becomes part of the medal conversation.

Then there’s the unknown variable: neutral athlete Adeliya Petrosian.

Russian women dominated this event across the last three Olympic cycles, producing the gold medalist each time. Petrosian follows that lineage, training in Moscow under Eteri Tutberidze and possessing the technical arsenal — including quads and triple Axels — that has defined that system. Unlike her predecessors, however, Petrosian enters Milan with less senior international experience and shakier consistency. The 18-year-old could contend for the top step of the podium — or fall outside the medals altogether.

Watch the women's short program streaming live on Peacock and NBCOlympics.com and airing on USA Network and NBC.

How many skaters will compete?

There are 29 skaters qualified in the women's short program. After the short program, the top 24 skaters qualify for the free skate.

How long is the short program?

The short program is 2 minutes, 40 seconds (plus or minus 10 seconds).

Why are some nations represented by more than one skater?

The number of skaters a nation can send to the Olympics is dependent on the results of each nation's skaters at the previous World Championships, along with a separate qualifying event where nations can earn extra entries. The maximum number of entries is three.

Required Elements:

• 3 jumping passes
• 3 spins
• 1 step sequence

Warm-Up Group 1

1. Viktoriia Safonova (AIN)
2. Adeliia Petrosian (AIN)
3. Meda Variakojyte (LTU)
4. Ruiyang Zhang (CHN)
5. Kristen Spours (GBR)

Warm-Up Group 2

6. Livia Kaiser (SUI)
7. Mariia Seniuk (ISR)
8. Alexandra Feigin (BUL)
9. Julia Sauter (ROU)
10. Olga Mikutina (AUT)
11. Iida Karhunen (FIN)

Warm-Up Group 3

12. Kimmy Repond (SUI)
13. Ekaterina Kurakova (POL)
14. Jia Shin (KOR)
15. Haein Lee (KOR)
16. Lorine Schild (FRA)
17. Sofia Samodelkina (KAZ)

Warm-Up Group 4

18. Ami Nakai (JPN)
19. Madeline Schizas (CAN)
20. Loena Hendrickx (BEL)
21. Nina Pinzarrone (BEL)
22. Niina Petrokina (EST)
23. Lara Naki Gutmann (ITA)

Warm-Up Group 5

24. Alysa Liu (USA)
25. Isabeau Levito (USA)
26. Anastasiia Gubanova (GEO)
27. Kaori Sakamoto (JPN)
28. Amber Glenn (USA)
29. Mone Chiba (JPN)