The Shib Sibs are making a comeback with an eye on more Olympic figure skating medals.
The popular brother-sister ice dance team of Alex and Maia Shibutani announced Thursday they will return to competition this season in the hopes of making the loaded American squad for the next year's Milan-Cortina Games.
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.
