VIDEO SHOWS: AMERICAN ATHLETES AND CELEBRITIES ARRIVING AT RALPH LAUREN EVENT IN MILAN AHEAD OF WINTER OLYMPICS 2026 / SOUNDBITES FROM FORMER AMERICAN OLYMPIC FIGURE SKATER ADAM RIPPON, AMERICAN SPEED SKATER JORDAN STOLZ, FORMER AMERICAN SNOWBOARDER SHAUN WHITE, AMERICAN PARALYMPIAN EZRA FRECH RESENDING WITH FULL SCRIPT SHOWS: MILAN, ITALY (FEBRUARY 5, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all) 1. VARIOUS OF FORMER AMERICAN FIGURE SKATER ADAM RIPPON TALKING TO MEDIA AT RALPH LAUREN EVENT 2. RALPH LAUREN LOGO ON CLOTHES 3. (SOUNDBITE) (English) FORMER AMERICAN FIGURE SKATER, ADAM RIPPON, WHEN ASKED ABOUT ILIA MALININ, SAYING: “So Ilia is doing the impossible, and he makes it look so easy. And not only that, is he just like such a great athlete? I think, like as an artist, he's so interesting too. He pushes his own boundaries, and I just, I love his style. I'm like totally Ilia-pilled. I'm in it. I am in it. And I think, like that's the fun thing about Ilia is that at first, I didn't totally get the programs that he has this year, but now I'm like, I'm on board, sold." 4. TEAM USA LOGO 5. (SOUNDBITE) (English) FORMER AMERICAN FIGURE SKATER, ADAM RIPPON, WHEN ASKED ABOUT ILIA MALININ, SAYING: “I mean, and I think the thing that's amazing about skating is that it's this combination of like sport meets art. And Ilia has found a really good balance of both. He pushes the sport so technically, and he also pushes it artistically. And he also pushes the computers to their absolute limit of like how many different kinds of quads can you add into one scoring system. And so I just think what he's doing is so amazing. And he's just, I really feel like he's going to be in his element here. I really think that he thrives under the pressure and he thrives with the attention. I just... this is his moment." 6. RALPH LAUREN STATUE 7. (SOUNDBITE) (English) AMERICAN SPEED SKATER, JORDAN STOLZ, SAYING: “95%, that's how I'd rate it. I feel like I've hit my taper well. The World Cup in Inzell went well. Since then, I've gotten some top-speed training and some tempo stuff. I mean, I feel good. There's not much more I would ask for it to be better. Not much I can complain about. The ice is good enough for me." 8. VARIOUS OF STOLZ SPEAKING TO MEDIA 9. (SOUNDBITE) (English) AMERICAN SPEED SKATER, JORDAN STOLZ, SAYING: “I have about five days, so all the work is done. Just touch on some things, maybe do an interval session, just feel out the ice, try and get a lot of sleep. Honestly, like I'm feeling good, so I think it'll be, I think it'll be all right. Yeah." 10. FORMER AMERICAN SNOWBOARDER SHAUN WHITE POSING FOR PHOTO AND WALKING TO MEDIA 11. VARIOUS OF WHITE SPEAKING TO MEDIA 12. TEAM USA LOGO ON WALL 13. (SOUNDBITE) (English) FORMER AMERICAN SNOWBOARDER, SHAUN WHITE, WHEN ASKED ABOUT LINDSEY VONN, SAYING: “I was just so heartbroken to hear the news because her knees were her issue for a long time. She's had so many surgeries, so many things to correct, injuries she's had over the years. And now to hear another knee injury is what's plaguing her. It's just heartbreaking. But I was feeling upset and sad for her, then I saw her Instagram post. I don't know if you've seen this post. She's a total animal. She's such a true athlete and can push through the pain. And it's so inspiring. But she's lifting weights. She's jumping off of things. I don't know. I mean, if anyone's going to power through something like this, it's Lindsay. I mean, she's such a veteran in the sport. And either way, I think we're all going to be thrilled to watch her. But if she can pull through, it'll be an incredible story." 14. VARIOUS OF AMERICAN PARALYMPIAN EZRA FRECH SPEAKING TO MEDIA 15. (SOUNDBITE) (English) AMERICAN PARALYMPIAN, EZRA FRECH, WHEN ASKED ABOUT LINDSEY VONN, SAYING: “I just have so much respect for that because so easily she could have said, you know what? I'm injured. I don't want to risk my legacy. I don't want to risk injury. I'm just going to take a step back. I'm going to, you know, things didn't work out or whatever and be so sad about it. Instead, she's going, despite the odds, she has a chip on her shoulder now. She has no ACL and she's going out there and competing regardless. And if she medals, this will go down as one of the greatest moments in Olympic history. I'm honored to be in Italy, to be here to experience it. I'm going to watch every second of that 90-second race, and I just can't wait. Maybe we're going to witness a moment that in 50 years we'll still talk about. So I'm so fired up. You can't tell. I'm fired up." 16. PHONE SCREEN SHOWING FRECH SPEAKING 17. (SOUNDBITE) (English) AMERICAN PARALYMPIAN, EZRA FRECH, WHEN ASKED ABOUT LINDSEY VONN, SAYING: “I have another opportunity to pull so much inspiration and energy from what Lindsey Vonn is doing and take it into my own life. And that's what it's about. At the highest level, it's 1 to 2% that makes a difference. If I can be 1 to 2% more energetic, more motivated than my competitors, I will beat them. And I'm pulling from Lindsey Vonn. I'm taking some of her energy, the amazing energy that she's bringing into this. I'll learn from this. And then who knows, I might find myself in a situation where my back's up against the wall. Maybe I'm dealing with some stuff. Maybe I have the opportunity to risk something or not, and I'm gonna say I'm gonna risk it every damn time because Lindsey did back in 2026." 18. AMERICAN SINGER USHER ARRIVING 19. VARIOUS OF USHER POSING FOR PHOTOS 20. VARIOUS OF AMERICAN ACTRESS MARISA TOMEI POSING FOR PHOTOS AND SMILING 21. TOMEI WALKING AWAY 22. VARIOUS OF AMERICAN ACTOR MARIO LOPEZ AND HIS WIFE POSING FOR PHOTOS STORY: Former U.S. Olympic figure skater Adam Rippon said on Thursday (February 5) that American Ilia Malinin is reshaping men's skating by pairing "impossible" technical difficulty with a growing artistic edge, predicting he will thrive under the bright lights of the Milano Cortina Games. Rippon, speaking to Reuters at a Ralph Lauren event attended by American celebrities including Usher and Marisa Tomei on the eve of the opening ceremony, compared the sense of inevitability around Malinin's rise to the awe the skating world felt when Nathan Chen won Olympic gold four years ago - a moment many believed would be unmatched. "Ilia is doing the impossible," Rippon said, pointing to Malinin's repeated success landing the quadruple Axel, a jump long treated as more theory than reality. He added that Malinin "makes it look so easy." Rippon argued that Malinin's appeal extends beyond his jump content, describing him as a great athlete and artist - a combination he said is essential in a sport that sits between athletic performance and interpretation. "The thing that's amazing about skating is that it's where sport meets art," Rippon said. "And Ilia has found a really good balance of them both." While Malinin's technical base has made him a global name, Rippon said the skater's current programs took time for even enthusiastic observers to fully embrace. "At first I didn't totally get the programs that he has this year," Rippon said. "But now I'm on board, sold." Rippon added Malinin is not only expanding what is possible on the ice but also testing the sport's scoring framework with the sheer volume and variety of quadruple jumps he can pack into a layout. With major competitions drawing increasing attention, Rippon was confident Malinin is built for the global stage and the scrutiny that comes with it. "I really think that he thrives under the pressure, and he thrives with the attention," Rippon said. "This is his moment.” At the same event American speed skater Jordan Stolz rated himself “95%”ready to launch his gold quest. The 21-year-old arrives in Milan as speed skating's hottest property and favorite for three individual events - the 500 meters, 1,000m and 1,500m - when long-track competition begins Saturday (February 7). He is also eyeing the unpredictable mass start eve... (The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)
