Long Island figure skaters compete for spots in upcoming Winter Olympics
Northport native Audrey Shin, 21, competes in pairs free skate at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, in St. Louis. Credit: AP/Stephanie Scarbrough
Four Long Islanders are competing for a spots on Team USA’s figure skating squad going to Milan Cortina Winter Olympics in February.
Northport native Audrey Shin, 21, and her partner, Balazs Nagy, notched a fifth-place finish (185.10) in pairs free skate at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships on Friday night in St. Louis. The pair was fighting for one of two open spots on the Olympic team, but their chances are slim.
On Thursday, the Bay Shore sibling duo of Oona and Gage Brown finished their first rhythm dance program in sixth place (75.72) while Jimmy Ma of Great Neck stands in 11th place (75.56) after the men’s short program.
“There’s a lot more in the air than normal competitions,” Ma told Golden Skate on Thursday. “But, you know, one step at a time. It never gets easier. You just kind of have to accept it, embrace it and fight through it.”
Ma will compete for one of three men’s singles spots and the Browns for one of three ice dance pair spots in the respective championships on Saturday. The final Olympic team lineup will be announced at 2 p.m. Sunday.
Shin and Nagy earned a score of 67.67 for their short program on Wednesday. The strong performance put the pair in second place heading into Friday’s championship.
“I told Balazs, ‘Like, we got this.’ But I was definitely really nervous going into it,” Shin told Golden Skate after Wednesday’s performance. “Skating first … we haven't really done that this season after the warm up, which is fine, but I did feel a little bit nervous about that; about not having time to take a breath, but during the six minutes, everything was ready right away.”
Tess Ferguson is a reporter on Newsday's high school sports staff. She joined the team after graduating with a journalism degree from Ithaca College in 2025.
