Who are the Blade Angels? How USA's figure skating BFFs got their Olympics nickname

The U.S. Olympic figure skating team radiates starlight, with Ilia Malinin, Maxim Naumov, Madison Chock and Evan Bates establishing themselves as household names -- both before and after Olympic competition.

But Olympic figure skating's marquee event is the women's singles. While Malinin, Naumov, Chock and Bates' stars burn bright, they didn't receive top billing in this year's Olympic cycle. That honor belongs to their teammates, Amber Glenn, Alysa Liu and Isabeau Levito.

You might know the trinity by its moniker: Blade Angels. The pseudonym has made waves on social media, adding to the athletes' growing lore one fan cam at a time.

But just why are the Blade Angels proving so popular among masses of figure skating enthusiasts? Here's what you need to know.

MORE 2026 OLYMPICS: Live medal tracker | Viewer's guide | Day-by-day schedule

Who are the Blade Angels in figure skating?

The Blade Angels refers to the U.S.'s women's singles Olympic skaters: Amber Glenn, Alysa Liu and Isabeau Levito.

In an American side filled with stars, Glenn, Liu and Levito stand out. They're each anomalies compared to the vast majority of figure skaters, albeit for entirely different reasons.

Who is Amber Glenn?

James Lang-Imagn Images

Glenn is a 26-year-old figure skater from Plano, Texas. She is one of the most decorated women's figure skaters in recent U.S. history, capturing three consecutive U.S. Nationals titles from 2023-25. With her latest win at Nationals, she became the first woman to win back-to-back single titles in the competition since Michelle Kwan (2003-05).

At 26 years old, Glenn is the oldest American woman selected to compete as a figure skater at the Winter Olympics since 1928.

MORE: Amber Glenn left in tears following disappointing short program routine

At 5-6, Glenn stands out. She's an athletic marvel, one of just two figure skaters to land a triple axel during the women's singles short program at the 2026 Winter Olympics. Glenn has earned rave reviews for her artistry and elegance in the air in the years since climbing out the junior circuit.

At 15, Glenn stepped away from the sport, citing mental health issues. She was diagnosed with depression and anxiety and summarily underwent treatment for her maladies.

Glenn returned to the ice in 2016. By 2019, she had reemerged as one of U.S. skating's biggest stars, collecting her first international medal. That same year, she came out as bisexual and pansexual -- hence her placement as the "Gay" element of the "Alt, Gay and from New Jersey" moniker the Blade Angels trio has embraced as of late.

Glenn is unlike many of her skating counterparts. Her openness and vulnerability has made her a fan favorite, with fans often greeting her with rainbow flags when she traipses onto the ice during competitions. She wouldn't have it any other way.

MORE: Where Amber Glenn would rank among oldest figure skating medalists

"The stories I’ve been told that something I did, something I said, and being who I am publicly, unapologetically has helped them feel better, that outweighs any sort of backlash or anything that could ever come negatively from me being who I am," Glenn told The Today Show's Carson Daly in 2025. "It’s one of the reasons why I kept skating even when I might not have been seeing the results I wanted."

Alysa Liu

Alysa Liu is a 20-year-old figure skater from Richmond, Calif. Like Glenn, Liu is as decorated as they come, capturing gold medals in the 2025 World Championships, 2025-26 Grand Prix and 2019 an 2020 U.S. Championships.

Liu brings the "alt" to the Blade Angels. Her hair is unique, caked in streaks of brown and bleach blonde. Each year, she adds another halo to her coiffure, making it hard to ignore her on the ice.

Liu's smile has also proved noteworthy. She wears a "smiley" piercing, also known as a frenulum piercing. The body modification sees jewelry be placed through the thin webbing (frenulum) that connects the upper lip to the gums. The piercing's name comes from its clandestine nature; it is only visible when a wearer smiles.

Like Glenn, Liu stepped away from the sport, hanging up her skates following the 2022 World Championships. She spent the better part of two years exploring herself, her interests and the world. In 2023, she went to Nepal, trekking up Mount Everest. Months later she enrolled at UCLA as a psychology major.

Liu returned to training in 2024, gearing up for a return to official action during the 2024-25 season.

MORE: USA figure skating star Alysa Liu dazzles in short program

"I got what I wanted," Liu told U.S. Figure Skating in 2024. "I started skating when I was 5 and I never got a break, really. And I also wanted to go to school and experience that, because up until that point, I was homeschooled all through high school, and basically all of middle school as well. I was lacking experience in other things in the world. All I knew was skating, and I just wanted to live my life, I guess."

She came back with a bang, taking home gold in the 2025 World Championships in women's singles and 2025-26 Grand Prix Final. A silver medal showing at the 2026 U.S. Championships was enough to secure her a spot on the U.S. Olympic roster.

Isabeau Levito

Jeff Curry - Imagn Images

Levito rounds out the U.S.'s trio of Olympic women's singles skaters. The 18-year-old is a one-time national champion who collected silver medals in the 2024 World Championships and 2022-23 Grand Prix Final.

Born in Philadelphia and raised in Mount Holly, New Jersey, Levito satisfies the last of the "Alt, Gay and from New Jersey" requirements. The 2026 Winter Olympics proved especially significant for the teenager, whose mother was raised in Milan.

Named after Michelle Pfeiffer's character from the 1985 film, "Ladyhawke", it could be said that Levito was destined for stardom at a young age. She started skating at the tender age of three, whisking around the rink in her hometown.

Levito flashed her potential during junior competitions, capturing the World Junior Championships crown as a 15-year-old in 2022. She moved up the senior circuit shortly thereafter, setting the stage for a trophy-laden spell that has seen Levito emerge as one of the leader's of the new school within the U.S. ranks.

How did the Blade Angels nickname start?

After finishing one-two-three at the U.S. Championships, Glenn, Liu and Levito were presented with a challenge. They had to pick an appropriate nickname.

Debate was fierce on the topic. Levito put forward Powerpuff Girls, while "Babes of Glory" was also discussed. Deliberatons came to a close on Jan. 27 when the group announced their decision: they would go by "Blade Angels", a name initially crafted by Liu.

Blade Angels friendship, explained

While the eldest and youngest member of the Blade Angels are separated by eight years in age, the trio has become practically inseparable.

That's an unusual sight in figure skating, a sport largely defined by individual brilliance.

There's a competitive element to Glenn, Liu and Levito's relationship. But above all else, they're bonded together by camaraderie -- a dynamic aided by their age gap, Glenn explained in an interview with NPR.

"Something that [Liu has] been saying throughout all the press conferences and stuff is… 'Why is it so shocking that we're being friendly, that we're friends?' They obviously are much younger than I am," Glenn said. "So they don't know what the atmosphere might have been like before. Not that it was all bad, but there was definitely some intensity."

Off-the-ice, Glenn, Liu and Levito are thick as thieves, Liu explained. It seems unlikely that relationship will dissipate once the Olympic cycle comes to a close, too.

"I love Isabeau's wittiness, I'm sure everybody says this, but truly she's the funniest person I've ever met," Liu said. "And then Amber … you have a lot of love and you give a lot of love. She just radiates that."