February 16, 2026
Jeff Curry/Imagn Images
Isabeau Levito, of South Jersey, is competing in her first Winter Olympics. Above, she skaes in the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in January.
Philly has an extra reason to cheer on Team USA in the Olympics on Tuesday. Isabeau Levito, who was born in the city and now resides in Mount Laurel, is competing in the women's figure skating contest.
Levito, 18, has spent the past eight years racking up medals on the global stage. She was the world junior figure skating champion in 2022, took the top prize in the U.S. women's competition in 2023 and has claimed numerous silver and bronze medals, too. Now, she's making her Olympics debut.
The women's singles short program kicks off at 12:45 p.m. Tuesday. The top 24 skaters continue onto the free skating contest, held at 1 p.m. Thursday. Both are airing on NBC and Peacock.
But what can viewers expect from the young skating star? Here's a look back at some of Levito's notable performances, including the routine that earned her a gold medal at the world junior competition.
The commentators already were calling Levito the "face of the future" when she took the ice at the 2022 national championships. The 14-year-old skated to the classical piece "The Swan," earning praise and a standing ovation for her deep knee bends and overall artistry. She finished fourth in the short program, advancing to the main event, where she placed third.
Levito continued onto the world junior competition in Tallinn, Estonia that same year. She narrowly edged out Jia Shin for the gold medal with another swan-themed routine, this one set to Tchaikovsky's classic "Swan Lake."
Perhaps in a nod to her Italian ancestry — Levito's mother is from Milan — the skater chose the Lana Del Rey song "Salvatore" for her part in the "Gold on Ice" exposition in Leesburg, Virginia. Full of graceful spins and clean jumps, the performance proved the 16-year-old had graduated from the juniors and was ready for the main stage.
Current and former figure skating champs gathered in Washington last year to pay tribute to the victims of an aircraft collision over the Potomac River. Several athletes, coaches and family members were returning from a skating development camp on Jan. 29, 2025, when an Army helicopter collided with their American Airlines plane, killing all 67 passengers on board the vehicles.
Levito glided to "Moon River" from "Breakfast at Tiffany's," a staple from her 2024-2025 season. Despite a tumble, she skated with all the poise you'd expect from someone wearing a rink-friendly version of Audrey Hepburn's little black dress.
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