Isabeau Levito is one of the most popular and trending names in US figure skating, known for her polished artistry and composure under pressure on the ice. Even though she is just 18 years old, the Philadelphia native is a part of Team USA at the 2026 Winter Games in Milan-Cortina.
Behind her meteoric rise is a lovely family story that stretches from New Jersey rinks with deep Italian roots in Lombardy, shaping the career of the skating sensation.
All to Know About Isabeau Levito’s Italian-American Family
Born on March 3, 2007, Levito grew up in New Jersey and has trained in rinks around Mount Laurel and Mount Holly. Her mother, Chiara Garberi, moved from Milan to the United States in 1997 and built a life, maintaining strong ties with her Italian hometown and her extended family. It was her mother who chose Levito’s first name, taking it from Michelle Pfeiffer’s character Isabeau d’Anjou in the fantasy film “Ladyhawke.”
Notably, her grandmother, Nonna Stella, still resides in Italy and is following her journey, despite being miles apart, showing the strong Italian connection they share.
Garberi is a clinical embryologist by profession, a supportive parent, and a passionate figure skating fan who encouraged her daughter to pursue the sport. After watching the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics, she took three-year-old Levito to a local rink, initially to help her balance and as a reward for finishing meals. However, the child’s natural ease on the ice was quickly noted by the coaches, leading to a coaching partnership with Yulia Kuznetsova that has lasted for more than a decade in New Jersey.
Levito’s father, Tim Levito, brought the American side of her Italian-American identity, with roots in Philadelphia and an outgoing, devoted parent. Unfortunately, Tim died in 2019, when Isabeau was still in her early teens, a painful loss given how supportive he was of her skating career. Due to the diverse cultural background, Levito speaks English at home in New Jersey, while also understanding and speaking Italian with her maternal family.
Levito’s Career Rise and 2026 Milan-Cortina
Since the early days, Levito has seen immense success, winning the U.S. juvenile title in 2018 and later winning a national junior crown. She made her senior national debut at the 2022 U.S. Championships, taking bronze despite being too young for the 2022 Olympics in Beijing, and closed that season by winning the 2022 World Junior Championships.
On the Grand Prix circuit, she won silver at Skate America and the MK John Wilson Trophy in her first senior campaign, then took silver at the 2022 Grand Prix Final, becoming the first U.S. woman on that podium since 2014.
In 2023, Levito claimed her first U.S. senior national title and finished fourth at the World Championships, before helping Team USA secure gold at the World Team Trophy in Tokyo. The following year, she won silver at the 2024 World Figure Skating Championships, the best finish by an American woman at that event since 2016 and a result that cemented her status as a leading U.S. contender for Milan-Cortina.
By the start of 2026, she was widely viewed as one of the most refined and reliable U.S. women’s singles skaters, praised for her musicality and poise under pressure.
Her final build-up to the Olympics included a strong showing at the 2026 U.S. Figure Skating Championships in St. Louis, where she placed second in the free skate and third overall, posting 148.73 points in the long program with a clean skate set to Italian music from “Cinema Paradiso.”
At Milan-Cortina 2026, Levito is making her Olympic debut in the country where her mother grew up, entering the women’s event as the youngest member of the U.S. “Blade Angels” group and carrying both American expectations and a deeply personal Italian connection onto Olympic ice.
