The ice will be hot at the 2026 U.S. Figure Skating Championships as results of the senior events will significantly factor into the selection of the U.S. team for the Olympic Winter Games in February. 

Emmanuel Savary is making his mark in what will likely be his final U.S. nationals. 

This is Savary’s sixth appearance in the senior men’s event. The 2025 nationals marked his return to the U.S. Championships after six years. An ankle injury slowed his training over the summer, but by autumn he felt better, allowing him to skate in shows and compete internationally in Scotland. 

In November, Savary, 27, won his second consecutive Eastern Sectional Singles Final. 

“I personally feel [show skating] has helped me so much,” said Savary, who has become a regular performer with Ice Theatre of New York, recently skating at the Christmas tree lighting ceremonies at Bryant Park and Riverbank State Park. “I’m naturally very introverted, so it has helped me be comfortable in front of an audience. Making eye contact, smiling and engaging the audience, things like that, have elevated since I’ve been doing a lot more shows.” 

In the weeks leading up to the sectional competition, Savary said he was feeling good and gaining confidence. “I skated pretty much how I expected to skate, and I’m hoping to carry that momentum with me to nationals,” he said. 

Savary has kept his free skating program from last season, set to the music “Saturn.” His new short program is a tango fusion with some Latin accents. He does his own choreography, which is his favorite part of skating. “I find something I’m relating to music wise,” he said. “I’m very particular about how I want certain things to look.” 

Long term, Savary hopes to do more choreography for other skaters. He currently does some choreographic work with the young skaters he coaches at the Skating Club of Wilmington in Delaware. 

Shortly after the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Savary will return to his studies at the University of Delaware. He’s on schedule to graduate next spring with a degree in astrophysics. While graduate school is still on his radar, it will probably be several years in the future. 

“While my body still can, I want to do more things in skating,” he said. “I would love to see the world.”