How beloved US figure skater Jason Brown feels going for third Winter Olympics

In a time where the young stars headline U.S. figure skating, Jason Brown is out to prove he still has it.

The 31-year-old burst onto the scene in 2014, when he went viral and earned a spot on the 2014 Winter Olympics team, eventually winning a bronze medal. Afterward, he thought he would call it quits, but he still had more to give and made it back to the Winter Games in 2022. Again, he thought he was done after that.

But in 2026, Brown is back at it for what could be the last dance. He heads into the2026 U.S. figure skating championshipswith a chance to make Team USA for a third time, and he'll try to do it with something that helped him reach stardom. That something is a blast from the past, and making it to the2026 Winter Olympicswould remain just as special.

"Just competing at an Olympic Games is the most special thing as an athlete and getting to represent your country," Brown told USA TODAY Sports. "Gosh, it would be so special."

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Jason Brown brings back Riverdance

At the 2014 U.S. figure skating championships, a long-haired, 19-year-old Brown performed Riverdance free skate program. With Irish music and dance, it became a huge hit and catapulted Brown into stardom.

All these years later, it is still one of the most memorable performances, as people have continuously told him about how special it was.

"That's one of my favorite programs of his," U.S. figure skaterAlysa Liusaid. "I remember watching that when I was little, and it's the only program I remember watching when I was little, really, because it just stood out that much."

Now in this season, Brown has brought back the hit performance, using it for his short program. It's something Brown said "really launched my career," so he is using it as an opportunity to say thank you to the fans for all the years of support he's received.

Although using it for a shorter length, it has drawn the same type of reaction. The crowd roared when he performed it on home soil at 2025 Skate America in November.

Yet it didn't get Brown on the podium. He was fifth in the short program and finished fourth in the men's side of the event, six points out of bronze. It was a similar story the same month at 2025 Finlandia Trophy with a fifth-place finish.

It highlights one of the biggest challenges facing Brown: His creative artistry is among the best and why he's able to win so many hearts over, but the technical side of skating is an uphill battle.

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It's common for men skaters to execute tough jumps like triple Axels, but it's not necessarily Brown's forte. As a result, he's under a bigger microscope. "I don't have the luxury of anything to fall back on" for the technical side, Brown said, needing to basically be technically perfect to place high. Just those small errors can make it tough for when the best possible score isn't the highest.

"It's definitely frustrating," Brown said. "Every time I go out onto the ice, I know that to be up there with the best, I have to be as perfect and as clean as possible."

Jason Brown goes for third Winter Olympics

Brown's pursuit of perfection will be on display this week at the 2026 U.S. figure skating championships, one last chance for each American skater to prove they belong on the Olympic roster that will be announced on Sunday, Jan. 11.

Team USA has three spots for men's figure skating in Milano Cortina. Young phenomIlia Malininis a shoe-in, but it's up in the air for the two remaining spots. The general sense is Brown is in great position to qualify, and it will take a strong outing to leave no doubt when the roster is announced.

Yes, he is a beloved skater, but he wants people to know he is very competitive, and he really wants people to take him seriously. He wants to prove that he belongs and he leaves no doubt in earning a spot.

If he qualifies, it could be the perfect cap to his long career. He hasn't officially said this will be his swan song, but Brown did say in November "mentally, this is definitely an end of sorts."

Given the stakes, Brown said he tries to not think about what it could mean to his career to make Team USA, but admitted it is hard to not to. Still, it's quite the achievement to be chasing a third Olympic Games, especially to do it over two decades.

It was 12 years ago when Brown stole hearts around the world. Now in 2026, the veteran skater is trying to do it one more time — in Milan.

"I'm really, really proud of my consistency, and I'm really proud of my longevity," Brown said. "I'm really looking forward to just – fingers crossed – being out there in Milan."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Inside Jason Brown's push to make his third Winter Olympics

byCristiano Ronaldo

in

January 06, 2026

How beloved US figure skater Jason Brown feels going for third Winter Olympics

In a time where the young stars headline U.S. figure skating, Jason Brown is out to prove he still has it. The 3...

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After chaotic week, which women's basketball teams remain undefeated?

Parity is at an all-time high inwomen's college basketball, yet a dozen teams remained undefeated nearly halfway through the season. That all changed in the matter of seven days as conference play got underway.

Eight undefeated teams lost for the first time between Monday, Dec 29 and Sunday Jan. 4—No. 5LSU, No. 6Maryland, No. 7TCU, No. 10Iowa State, No. 24Alabama, No. 26Nebraska, in addition toArizona StateandGeorgia—marking the first time that many teams with a 10-0 or better record lost in that span in 27 years. Only four undefeated teams remain.

Perfection is hard to achieve. Only 10 teams have completed an undefeated season in four decades, most recently the 2024 champion South Carolina Gamecocks. But if you're going to lose a game, it's best for it to happen before the postseason and could prove to be beneficial in the long run.

"You don't want to play your best basketball in January," said Iowa State's Audi Crooks, who leads the nation in scoring. "You don't want to be a monster in January. You want to be a monster in March, and in order to do that you need to recognize your flaws. You need to recognize your shortcomings."

Here's a rundown on where every team stands:

No. 1 UCONN opens season against No. 19 Louisville at U.S. Naval Academy

Which undefeated teams lost?

Here's a timeline of how it all went down:

• Dec. 29: Nebraska lost at home against No. 16 USC, the Cornhuskers' first ranked opponent of the season. Nebraska followed up the loss with a double-digit loss to No. 14 Iowa on Jan. 4.

• Jan. 1: Alabama ran into a buzzsaw against No. 3 South Carolina and the Crimson Tide's 14-game win streak was snapped with a 83-57 loss.

• Jan. 1: LSU opened SEC play with a 80-78 loss to No. 12 Kentucky on its home floor. Wildcats guard Tonie Morgan knocked down a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to hand LSU its first loss of the season. The Tigers had the opportunity to bounce back on the road on Jan. 4 against No. 11 Vanderbilt, but suffered LSU another loss after surrendering 22 turnovers. Kim Mulkey ripped her team as "not tough enough."

• Jan. 1: Georgia faced its first ranked opponent of the season in No. 17 Ole Miss. Dani Carnegie dropped 24 points, but it was not enough as the Bulldogs fell 79-62.

• Jan. 1: Maryland's Yarden Garzon (17 points), Saylor Poffenbarger (15) and Oluchi Okananwa (12) each reached double-digits, but Illinois came out with the win after a fourth quarter surge. The Fighting Illini went on a 10-1 run late in the game to capture the lead and the win.

• Jan. 3: Arizona State's best start in program history ended at 15 consecutive wins after suffering a 71-62 loss at BYU. The Cougars outrebounded the Sun Devils 54-25, leading to a 20-7 second-chance points advantage that proved the difference.

• Jan 3: TCU suffered an 87-77 overtime loss at Utah to snap the Horned Frogs' 14-game win streak to start the season. Olivia Miles had 31 points, seven assists and seven rebounds for TCU, but Utah went on a 7-0 run to secure the win. The Utes held the Horned Frogs to a season-low 37% shooting from the field.

• Jan. 4: Iowa State matched its best start in program history with 14 consecutive wins before falling to Baylor, 72-70. Bears guard Taliah Scotthit a 15-foot jumper with 2 seconds remaining to win the game.

Which undefeated teams remain?

• No. 1 UConn (15-0), Big East: The reigning champion Huskies have held down the No. 1 spot in the USA TODAY Sports women's basketball coaches poll for the entirety of the season and for good reason. UConn's average margin of victory is by 37 points and that includes four wins over ranked opponents Louisville, Michigan, USC and Iowa. The Huskies' winning streak is likely to continue as they enter Big East conference play, where UConn is on a 53-game win streak.

• No. 2 Texas (17-0), SEC: Texas has the most Quad 1 wins of the remaining undefeated teams with five, including back-to-back victories over No. 4 UCLA and No. 3 South Carolina. Texas has had its fair share of blowout victories, but the Longhorns have also shown their ability to grind out tough matchups, including the team's dramatic 67-64 win over No. 17 Ole Miss to open SEC play and improve to 17-0 for the first time since the 1985-86 season.

• No. 21 Texas Tech (16-0), Big 12: Texas Tech has benefitted from a lighter schedule to reach the program's best start in school history. The Lady Raiders have only faced one ranked opponent so far, defeating No. 21 Baylor by a point on Dec. 21. The back half of the season won't be as friendly. Texas Tech will face Big 12 foes Iowa State on Jan. 31 and TCU on Feb. 1, matchups that'll serve as a barometer for Krista Gerlich's squad.

• No. 12 Vanderbilt (15-0), SEC: Vanderbilt's best win of the season came against No. 5 LSU, where the Commodores held the nation's highest scoring offense to 61 points, 45 points under the Tigers' average. The win marked Vanderbilt's lone Quad 1 win. Vanderbilt is three wins away from tying the program's best start in history — the 1992-93 Final Four squad started 17-0 — but the competition will ratchet up with matchups against SEC powerhouse No. 8 Michigan, No. 3 South Carolina and No. 17 Ole Miss in January.

The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast.Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:After chaotic week, which women's basketball teams remain undefeated?

byCristiano Ronaldo

in

January 06, 2026

After chaotic week, which women's basketball teams remain undefeated?

Parity is at an all-time high inwomen's college basketball, yet a dozen teams remained undefeated nearly halfway thro...

Read More