The 2026 Winter Olympics are officially here - and Team USA is arriving in Italy with star power, storylines and sky-high expectations. As the world's best athletes descend on Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, all eyes are on the Americans: from Ilia Malinin's can't-miss moment in men's figure skating to Mikaela Shiffrin's long-awaited redemption tour on the slopes, and Madison Chock and Evan Bates chasing gold as newlyweds in their fourth Olympic Games together. With pressure mounting and history on the line, these athletes aren't just competing for medals - they're skating, skiing and sliding into some of the most defining moments of their careers. Us Weekly spoke exclusively to some of Team USA's biggest stars as they prepare to take center stage when the Milano Cortina Games kick off February 6. COMPOSITE COVER BACKGROUND & SPORTING ELEMENTS: GETTY IMAGES (6). ATHLETES CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: COURTESY U.S. OLYMPIC & PARALYMPIC COMMITTEE (4); MICHAEL OWENS/NBC SPORTS (2) Redemption Mode Some of the most powerful Olympic stories are born from heartbreak. In 2022, alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin arrived in Beijing as a heavy favorite, expected to dominate the slopes. Instead, she suffered a stunning series of DNFs (Did Not Finish) and left without a medal. "A lot of people who were tuning into Mikaela Shiffrin for her biggest race were tuning in when I didn't win a medal," Shiffrin tells Us. "They were saying, 'Don't even come home. You failed us. You didn't bring home any gold.'" The emotional weight of that moment has stayed with her - and reshaped her perspective heading into 2026. "That's the hardest thing or the most loaded thing, and I'm very aware of it now, emotionally and mentally," she continues. "The hurdle I've been working on with my team and with my psychologist and with my family and everybody around me is: We could go to these Games and we could do everything right, and it could still go wrong." Now, coming off a dominant season that saw her make World Cup history, Shiffrin, 30, is embracing a different mindset. "Going into [the Olympics] as an athlete, you've really got to be open-minded," she explains. "Now that we have all of this in- formation, all of this experience, could we boil it down a little bit and remember that we're just ski racing here?" COURTESY U.S. OLYMPIC & PARALYMPIC COMMITTEE Redemption is also front and center for the U.S. women's figure skating team, which heads into Milan Cortina with unfinished business. After leaving Beijing without the gold many believed was within reach, the Americans are skating with something to prove - and the depth to do it. Amber Glenn, Isabeau Levito and Alysa Liu headline a stacked field, blending technical firepower with hard-earned experience on the world stage. For these skat- ers, 2026 isn't just another Olympic cycle - it's a chance to turn lingering frustration into gold. "If we do our jobs in Milan, then more than likely some- one is going to be up there," Glenn has said of the podium. American Pride For many athletes, the Olympics represent more than medals - they're a rare chance to unite a country. "It's one of the greatest honors to be able to go to the Olympics and represent the U.S.," ice dancer Madison Chock, 33, tells Us. "For us being Americans, we have such pride in our patriotism and really, the American dream." COURTESY U.S. OLYMPIC & PARALYMPIC COMMITTEE That responsibility isn't lost on veterans like hockey player Hilary Knight, who will compete in her fifth and final Games. "If you want to call us sports ambassadors or sports envoys, we can have an impact on someone's life in a small way," Knight, 36, says. "I do think there's a greater responsibility when you're representing your country on the world stage." Honorary coach and NBC correspondent Snoop Dogg agrees. "One thing about the Olympics that I love is that it gives me a chance to be in front of people to represent what Americans look like, what we feel like, how we love, how we appreciate," he's said. High-Stakes Drama If any event captures the emotional intensity of the Olympics, it's figure skating - and few understand that better than Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir. "You hear the music, you see the rings, there's this magic to it," says Lipinski, 43, who won gold at the 1998 Nagano Olympics at just 15 years old. "I think that's why the whole world loves this event. It's one of these things where you realize that this group of athletes has sacrificed their whole life. They're building to this one moment in time. It's four minutes on the ice that could change their entire life." For Lipinski, that emotional cocktail is exactly what makes the sport unforgettable. "It's everything you could want," she adds. "The pressure, the suspense, the glitz, the glamour." Now working together as NBC Sports analysts, Lipinski and Weir experience those moments from the booth - but the nerves never disappear. "Figure skating isn't known as the most hugs and kisses, warm and fuzzy spo