US Figure Skating championships headed to Wichita, Kansas, next year with worlds on tap for Boston

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — The U.S. Figure Skating championships will take place in Wichita, Kansas, next year in what should amount to a preview of the names to watch for the American team headed to the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano-Cortina, Italy.

The national governing body announced its calendar of domestically held international events Tuesday, along with awarding the U.S. championships to Wichita. The event will run from Jan. 20-26 at INTRUST Bank Arena.

The Grand Prix season begins Oct. 18 with Skate America, which will take place for the second straight year at Credit Union of Texas Event Center in Allen, Texas. It is the first event in the six-stop international Grand Prix schedule.

The U.S. also will host the 2025 world championships from March 23-30 at TD Garden in Boston.

U.S. figure skaters topped the medal table with two golds and a bronze at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, and they could do even better at the next Winter Games. Ilia Malinin recently won his first world title with a record-setting free skate, Madison Chock and Evan Bates won a second straight ice dance gold, and Isabeau Levito took silver in the women’s event.

“U.S. Figure Skating is very excited about each of our top-tier events, both at the national and international stages, for the 2024-25 season,” U.S. Figure Skating chief executive Tracy Marek said. “These events span our nation to provide amazing opportunities for skaters at all levels — from our juveniles to adults — as well as our fans and the skating community.”

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AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games