U.S. figure skating pair Danny O’Shea, Ellie Kam exceed expectations – NBC Chicago

Danny O’Shea and Ellie Kam needed a win to keep Team USA’s gold medal chances alive — and they went bigger than they ever have before.

The pair, who came in fifth during the team short programs after a brief fall, completed their best skate to date, scoring a personal best and leaving commentators in awe.

“I have chills,” Olympic gold medalist Tara Lipinski said as the duo outskated expectations.

WATCH:

Landing their jumps and throws, the pair’s elite lifts highlighted an already unexpected performance.

“[Danny] is one of the best lifters in the world,” Lipinski said, noting the Chicago-area skater’s exceptional skill.

The two grew emotional as they finished their skate on the ice, relief washing over them. They needed a strong finish for Team USA and they got just that.

“I haven’t seen them skate like that ever. That was Olympic energy,” Lipinski said. “They were unstoppable.”

“That was the most fantastic skate I’ve seen from them,” Olympian and fellow commentator Johnny Weir said. “Absolutely stunning from start to finish.”

As they walked off the ice, O’Shea sent a message to his friends and family watching from the Chicago area and across the U.S.

“Thank you for believing in us,” he said.

At 34, the 2026 Milan Cortina Games are O’Shea’s first Olympics — and it is a dream decades in the making.

“It means everything,” he said after his skate Sunday. “It’s so amazing. It’s those moments that you’ve dreamed of since you were a little kid.”

O’Shea, a graduate of Saint Viator High School in Arlington Heights and a Gurnee native, said he was “overwhelmed with words and a different type of overwhelm with emotion.”

“That was my goal was to live with joy and give joy to others,” he said.

The two ended with a score of 135.36, a personal best that left them in fourth place in the pairs free skate.

Japan, the biggest competition in the U.S.’ quest for team gold, came in first, bringing them even closer to Team USA in the standings.

Still left to compete are Amber Glenn in the women’s free skate and Ilia Malinin in the men’s free skate.

Watch below:

1:45 p.m. – women’s free skate

2:55 p.m. CT – men’s free skate

Coverage of the men’s free skate will re-air in primetime on NBC starting at 10:10 p.m. CT.

Full figure skating schedule