Milano Cortina 2026: Day 3 schedule (Monday 9th February) - Ellia Smeding + Ice Dance begins

Day 3 of the Olympic Winter Games is a big one for British Ice Skating - with Ellia Smeding making her Milano Cortina debut in the Women’s 1000m, and the individual Figure Skating events getting underway as Ice Dance opens with the Rhythm Dance for Lilah Fear & Lewis Gibson and Phebe Bekker & James Hernandez.

All times below are UK time (GMT). Italy is one hour ahead (CET).

Day 3 schedule (UK time)

4:30pm - Speed Skating | Women’s 1000m: Ellia Smeding (Milano Cortina debut)

6:20pm - Figure Skating | Ice Dance Rhythm Dance: Lilah Fear & Lewis Gibson and Phebe Bekker & James Hernandez 

Speed Skating: Ellia Smeding - Women’s 1000m

Ellia takes on the 1000m this afternoon — one of speed skating’s most explosive races, where margins are often decided by tenths (and sometimes hundredths) of a second.

In long track speed skating, skaters race in pairs, chasing the clock around a 400m oval and swapping lanes each lap — it’s about raw pace, precision, and holding technique under pressure.

What to know about Ellia

This is Ellia’s first start of Milano Cortina 2026, and she arrives in Italy after reshaping her build-up to the Games - including a major training move to Calgary as she worked back from injury and looked for a reset ahead of this Olympic season.

Figure Skating: Ice Dance begins - Rhythm Dance

Tonight, the spotlight shifts to Ice Dance as the individual figure skating events begin with the Rhythm Dance — the opening segment of the competition before the Free Dance later in the week.

Lilah Fear & Lewis Gibson

Fear and Gibson come into their second Olympic Games with serious momentum and a growing global profile — including a landmark World Championship bronze in 2025, ending a decades-long wait for a British world medal in the sport.

They’ve already made their mark in Milano Cortina through the team event, posting a season’s best 86.85 to set Team GB up strongly earlier in the Games.

Phebe Bekker & James Hernandez

For Bekker and Hernandez, this is a huge milestone: their Olympic debut. The duo have quickly established themselves as one of Britain’s brightest rising teams, and they’ll bring plenty of personality to the Rhythm Dance - with their Olympic season programme choices including George Michael music in the RD.

How to watch in the UK

You can catch every moment of Milano Cortina 2026 in the UK via BBC Sport (including BBC iPlayer/Red Button) or discovery+ (with TNT Sports coverage).

For the full Day 3 schedule, watch links, results, and daily updates, head to the British Ice Skating Olympic Hub.

Inspire to Skate

Feeling inspired by the Olympic action? Inspire to Skate - delivered in partnership with Planet Ice - is here to help more people take their first steps onto the ice. Find out more via the British Olympic Hub.

You can book a Learn to Skate taster lesson at any of Planet Ice’s 14 rinks, with intro sessions priced at £10 (available for a limited time).

Not near a Planet Ice venue? You can still get involved - use the British Ice Skating Rink Finder to find your nearest rink and explore lessons and skate sessions local to you.