NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
U.S. Olympic medalist Alex Shibutani issued an apology after footage emerged of him berating his younger sister and ice dancing partner Maia.
“I feel terrible about it,” Alex told reporters Friday. “Unfortunately, I lost my temper in training, and it shouldn’t have happened. I apologized to Maia right after our practice.”
In the video that leaked on social media last month, Alex can be heard directing an expletive-laced rant at his younger sister.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani of the United States perform in the Ice Dance – Free Dance on day 2 of the ISU Figure Skating Grand Prix NHK Trophy 2025 at the Towa Pharmaceutical Ractab Dome on Nov. 8, 2025 in Osaka, Japan. (Tang Xinyu/VCG via Getty Images)
“The intensity of what we are trying to do and the standards that we have, the two of us, we both understand (the outburst) but it was wrong and I am committed to being a better teammate,” he said. “I’m so lucky to skate with Maia. We have a very unique, special relationship and we are committed to each other and to this process.”
Maia expressed “understanding” for her brother’s behavior.
“When you are working toward being your best there are going to be intense moments, but for us we understand each other and the process and we work through it together like siblings do,” she said. “We continued practicing that day and we choose each other every time.”
The duo went on to finish sixth at the NHK Trophy in Osaka on Saturday.
They will compete again at the Finlandia Trophy in two weeks with the US nationals in January.
Alex, 34, and Maia, 31, have skated together most of their lives, and for a long time were the dominant US ice dancers, winning bronze at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. They are three-time world championship medalists and two-time Olympians, finishing ninth at the 2014 Olympics at Sochi before finishing third in 2018.
After Pyeongchang, they stepped away from the sport to focus on school and other interests.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani of the United States compete in the Ice Dance Free Dance during the ISU Grand Prix Of Figure Skating – NHK Trophy at Towa Pharmaceutical RACTAB Dome on November 08, 2025 in Osaka, Japan. (Toru Hanai – International Skating Union/International Skating Union via Getty Images)
They extended their competitive hiatus when Maia was diagnosed with a malignant tumor on her kidney in 2019. She underwent surgery to remove the mass, and additional treatment resulted in a successful but long and painful recovery.
Now, they are attempting a comeback after a break of seven years in the hopes of making the U.S. team for next year’s Milan-Cortina Games.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
