The 34-year-old Alex and the 30-year-old Maia have skated together most of their lives, and for a long stretch were the dominant U.S. ice dancers. They are three-time world medalists and two-time Olympians, finishing ninth at the 2014 Sochi Games and third at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games, where they also were part of the American squad that won a team bronze medal.
The Shibutanis stepped away from competition after those Olympics, choosing to focus on school and other interests. They've authored four children's books and worked as choreographers and ambassadors for diversity and representation, and two years ago, they were inducted into U.S. Figure Skating's hall of fame.
They extended their hiatus when Maia Shibutani was diagnosed with a malignant tumor on her kidney in 2019. She underwent surgery to remove the mass, and additional treatment resulted in a long, painful recovery.
“These past seven years have challenged and inspired us in ways we never expected," Maia Shibutani said. “I’m so happy and grateful to be healthy and in a position to make the decision to return to the sport I love in this way.”
The Shibutanis continued to skate in exhibitions over the years, and they remained close to the Olympic movement, albeit in a different way. Last summer, Alex Shibutani worked as a photographer and Maia Shibutani did media work at the Paris Olympics, where U.S. figure skaters were finally awarded their team gold medals from the 2022 Beijing Games.
Alex Shibutani also is a member of the athletes' commission for the organizing committee for the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
Now, the Shibutanis hope to be on the next American squad headed to the Olympics.
They will be training with longtime coach Marina Zoueva and Massimo Scali, who recently helped Alysa Liu return from her own brief retirement to win the first women's world title for a U.S. figure skater in nearly two decades.
It won't be easy for the Shibutanis to make the team for the Milano-Cortina Games. Madison Chock and Evan Bates just won their third consecutive ice dance world title and will be prohibitive favorites to stand atop the Olympic podium, while Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko were fifth at worlds and Caroline Green and Michael Parsons were ninth.
The U.S. has qualified the maximum three ice dance teams for the Winter Games, which means someone will be left out.
“As Olympic medalists and U.S. Figure Skating hall-of-famers, it’s incredibly exciting to have Maia and Alex return to competition next season,” said Justin Dillon, the senior director of athlete high performance for U.S. Figure Skating.
“They are strong ambassadors for the sport, both on and off the ice. Their comeback adds to the excitement surrounding Team USA after a very successful year and makes the team stronger as we look toward the Olympic season.”
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