Danny O'Shea

Quick Facts

• Specialty: Pairs figure skating
• Has a golden doodle named Snow
• Growing up, played football, soccer, basketball, ran track, and learned karate in addition to figure skating
• Hobbies include hiking, reading science fiction novels, building with Legos, and home improvement projects

Biographical Information

Danny O'Shea's Olympic dream began at a young age when he watched the Winter Games on television. He made his senior U.S. championships debut in 2013 with Tarah Kayne, and together they captured the 2016 U.S. national title and the 2018 Four Continents Championship. After nearly nine years together, the partnership ended in December 2020, and O'Shea retired from competitive skating.

O'Shea briefly returned to competition in 2021 with Chelsea Liu, but the partnership ended after a dangerous fall from a lift in November 2021. He retired again, working in real estate and helping Drew Meekins as a coaching assistant. In 2022, when young pairs skater Ellie Kam needed a practice partner after her partnership ended, O'Shea stepped in. The chemistry was immediate, and they officially teamed up in September 2022. The partnership was unprecedented, with the largest age difference, of nearly 14 years, for any U.S. pair to compete at World Figure Skating Championships since at least 1990.

In their debut season, they won bronze at the 2023 U.S. Figure Skating Championships and finished 12th at the 2023 world championships, capturing their first national title at the 2024 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. The 2024-25 season brought breakthrough performances: they won silver at Skate America with 201.73 points—O'Shea's first time breaking 200 points with any partner—and qualified for the Grand Prix Final, becoming only the fourth U.S. team to do so in the last 14 editions. 

Kam and O'Shea were named to the 2026 Olympic team. At age 35, O'Shea became the oldest U.S. Olympic pairs skater since 1932 and the oldest figure skater from any country to make an Olympic debut since 1948. Beyond skating, O'Shea works as a real estate agent and coaches young pair skaters, giving back to the sport that has defined his life for three decades.

World Championships Experience

• Most recent: 2025 – 7th (Pairs - Mixed)
• Years of participation: Pairs - Mixed 2016, 2023, 2024, 2025
• Top finish: 7th – 2025 (Pairs - Mixed)

Olympic Experience

• 1-time Olympian; 1-time Olympic medalist (1 gold)
• Olympic Games Milan 2026, gold (Team - Mixed)