Robert Samuels

The Washington National Opera will have a starring role at the Olympics Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama, rival to Ilia Malinin, will perform his free skate to an arrangement of “Turandot” that was originally commissioned by the WNO.

Wait until you see Yuma Kagiyama’s free skate. It’s magical and legendary. #figureskating #olympics: www.washingtonpost.com/sports/olymp...

The hottest trend in Olympic ice dance: Pretending to die Re-creating “The Godfather” and imitating a matador and bull are just two examples of a growing trend for metaphorical murder.

I talked with five of the top six ice dance teams at the #Olympics about the free dance programs, which will be performed tonight, the meaning of life and the meaning of death in their performance. Thankful skaters allowed me to go deep with them #figureskating : wapo.st/3OzFSXk

He was tremendous!

Analysis | The history of figure skating’s most controversial trick This is the first Olympics to feature backflips in over 25 years.

Surya Bonaly is actually interviewed in my piece about the history of the backflip. Why it was banned, why it came back, and its connection to race and politics in a political sport: wapo.st/4tnBhrr #suryabonaly #figureskating #olympics2026 #iliamalinin

Analysis | The history of figure skating’s most controversial trick This is the first Olympics to feature backflips in over 25 years.

I spoke to her in this story. Also, I hope we get to meet one day. I love your writing!: wapo.st/4tnBhrr

Analysis | Ice dance will incorporate queer culture unlike in any other Olympics Officials asked teams to open their millennial playlists and skate their first program to music from the ’90s.

Ice dance in learning to be less stuffy and embrace gay culture. I spoken to Paul Poirier in this preview of the upcoming ice dance competition at the Olympics: www.washingtonpost.com/sports/olymp...

I have an interview with her coming up! She is coaching outside Minneapolis.

Analysis | The most popular skater at the Olympics might not be Ilia Malinin Japanese star Kaori Sakamoto delivered deliver one of skating’s most moving programs of all time in the team event.

Kaori Sakamoto skated a performance for the ages. Check out my piece on the most popular skater in the Olympics might not be named Ilia Malinin (yes, I am a Washington Post reporter at the Olympics): wapo.st/4rGFoND

Perspective | How it feels to be called a monkey Canceling "Roseanne" doesn't rid America of this racist trope.

In light of Trump’s racist video, I am reposting a piece about what it’s like to be compared to a primate. “The third time I was called a monkey, I was reporting on anti-Trump protesters at a Trump campaign rally in Louisville.": www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-na...

How Ilia Malinin makes figure skating’s most risky jump look routine Just a handful of skaters have attempted a quadruple axel in competition. Malinin, a gold medal favorite at the Milan-Cortina Olympics, is the only skater who has landed one.

Ilia Malinin is the world’s best figure skater and the only person to land a quadruple axel in competition.

He says one of the biggest keys to landing the jump is committing to it fully on approach.

How Maxim Naumov learned to embrace his grief to earn a spot at the Olympics After his parents died in a plane crash, the activity he feared most ended up being the one that healed him.

"Out came the story about what it feels like to lose everything." Take some time to read this incredibly moving story about overcoming grief and turning it into art, by @newsbysamuels.bsky.social www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2026/...

How Maxim Naumov learned to embrace his grief to earn a spot at the Olympics After his parents died in a plane crash, the activity he feared most ended up being the one that healed him.

Reporters get nervous. Whenever I’d get the chance to interview Maxim Naumov, I’d get unusually scared that I would say too much or ask the wrong thing in a delicate situation. But each time, he reflected on the past year with candor and intimacy. I’ve learned so much from him: wapo.st/3NNFFQ5

For those watching figure skating, this is the simplest explanation of a triple axel I could come up with:

If you're tuned in to #prevagenuschamps #usfigure, here is a round up of skaters competing for the #Olympics2026 , with one-on-one interviews from Andrew Torgashev, Maxim Naumov, Tomoki Hiwatashi, Jacob Sanchez and Jimmy Ma: wapo.st/4jBKtUG

Bjerke said he was upset that there were no statistics to show whether refugees had been responsible for an increase in robberies and burglaries. With so many refu­gee students learning English in school, he wondered whether native speakers were losing valuable time from their teachers. Most upsetting, he said, was that the Somalis were not adopting “American customs,” such as playing hockey or eating hot dogs.

Ten years have elapsed since @newsbysamuels.bsky.social included this remarkable paragraph in a story still well worth reading. www.washingtonpost.com/politics/tru...

Alysa Liu makes you cry on Saturday and smile on Sunday. What a satisfying evening of skating so far. #gpfigure #skateamerica

Madison Chock, the matador, has informed me that she does not kill Evan, the bull, at the end of the program. Merely tames him. This is both a relief and disappointing all at once. #gpfigure #skateamerica

So many ice dancers are pretending to die at the end of their programs, and, as a serious journalist, I need to figure out what the heck is going on. #gpfigure #skateamerica

How Alysa Liu has mastered holding the hearts of everyone in an audience is stunning. The crisp running edges, the increase in technical difficulty and the propulsive surge feels different than before. It is the same program, but feels like we are in a different era for her. #gpfigure #skateamerica

Feather light jumping on Lara Naki Gutman, excellent run out on those jumps. #gpfigure #skateamerica

Theoretical temperature. It's still cold as Lady Tremaine was to Cinderella here. #gpfigure #skateamerica

The temperature just turned up in the arena after an uninhibited Starr Andrews leads the first group, then Rink coming out of the gate with a whirl of a triple axel. #gpfigure #skateamerica

Brown/Brown really captured the spirit of the 90s dance in their exuberant interpretation to jump around - much like those in the 90s, though, probably got ahead of themselves with a range of minor and serious bobbles. But encouraging progress. #gpfigure #skateamerica

Nikolaj Memola, for the record, is taller than Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. #gpfigure #skateamerica

We are at the Club Kabuki Tomono and there's no place I'd rather be on a Friday night. Love those stalking deep edges and a gorgeous triple axel. #skateamerica #gpfigure

A standing ovation for Jason Brown, which feels like an appreciation for all that he has given to the sport over the years. This particular program felt a little self-conscious, hesitant going into the axel and a stumble on his combination. Lots of room for growth, even now. #gpfigure #skateamerica

The crowd at Skate America is gearing up for some riverdance! I, for one, think the step sequence is worth being a TikTok trend. #skateamerica #gpfigure

I'm not alone on this?! Maybe I should go on blueksky more often

Luc Economides' short program mixing Lion King and Kanye West is my guilty pleasure. I love this program so much. #skateamerica #gpfigure

Join us next week for our special @litquake.org installment of Movie Night at Roxie Theater with @ingridrojasc.bsky.social + @newsbysamuels.bsky.social

Tickets: tinyurl.com/mry3xe93