MILAN (AP) — Skating into Olympic medal contention despite a hearing impairment, Las Vegas-born ice dancer Diana Davis is helping make the country of Georgia a surprise contender.
The team event is figure skating's ultimate test of depth. It would usually be out of reach for a country which has never before won a Winter Olympic medal of any sort.
Smart recruitment and controversial Russian coach Eteri Tutberidze, Davis' mother, have helped the mountainous former Soviet republic of Georgia become a rising power. It's in fourth place heading into Saturday's second of three days of team competition.
Davis had a busy Friday, skating with husband Gleb Smolkin to “Pretty Fly (For A White Guy)” by The Offspring — hardly typical skating music — and carrying the Georgian flag at the opening ceremony.
“It means a lot to me," Davis said Friday. "I'm just glad.”
Davis has spoken out about her experience with hearing issues caused by an incorrect dose of antibiotics when she was 2.
In an Instagram post in December describing how she became withdrawn, faced mockery and difficulties at school, Davis said she can generally hear music — crucial for a skater — “except for certain frequencies,” but often can’t make out the lyrics.
“I want people who have the same condition not to feel ashamed or to withdraw into themselves, not to be afraid to try sports, and not to listen to those who try to limit them,” she said.
Davis, who is of Georgian heritage through her mother, skated as a Russian at the 2022 Beijing Olympics. She married Smolkin in Las Vegas shortly after and started skating for Georgia in 2023, while Russian skaters were excluded from international events.
Tutberidze is the Russian coach who revolutionized women’s skating with big jumps and came under scrutiny at the 2022 Olympics after her star pupil, 15-year-old Russian skater Kamila Valieva, failed a doping test.
Tutberidze is in Milan as the coach of Nika Egadze, the men’s European champion and the only one of Georgia’s six skaters to be born in the country. Four others were born in Russia, including pairs skater Luka Berulava, who carried the flag with Davis.
“We really want to take advantage of this chance (in the team event)," said Berulava, who won the European pairs title with partner Anastasiia Metelkina. “It’s a big responsibility and you don’t want to let the team down.”
Berulava was born to a Georgian family in Moscow and learned to skate in Russia.
Despite its skaters' varied origins, Georgia's team spirit is strong.
“We’ve got a very friendly team,” 2023 European champion Anastasiia Gubanova said. “Fate has united us all.”
AP Olympic coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
Diana Davis, left, and Luka Berulava, flag bearers of Georgia, lead Georgia athletes as they walk during the Olympic opening ceremony at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Friday, Feb. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
Diana Davis and Gleb Smolkin of Georgia compete during the figure skating ice dance team event at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Friday, Feb. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. (AP) — President Donald Trump paid his respects on Wednesday at a Delaware military base where the remains of six U.S. service members killed in the crash of a refueling aircraft were returned to their families.
It was the second time since launching the war with Iran on Feb. 28 that the Republican president attended the solemn military ritual known as a dignified transfer, which he once described as the “toughest thing” he has had to do as commander in chief.
Accompanying Trump were Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, House Speaker Mike Johnson, Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and lawmakers including Sens. Tommy Tuberville and Katie Britt, both Alabama Republicans.
All six crew members of a KC-135 Air Force refueling aircraft were killed last week in a plane crash over friendly territory in western Iraq while supporting operations against Iran. They were from Alabama, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio and Washington state.
“Every person on that aircraft carried a weight most Americans will never see, and they carried it with professionalism, courage, and a level of quiet excellence that deserves to be recognized,” retired Lt. Col Ernesto Nisperos, a friend of one of those killed, said in a text message Wednesday.
The crash brought the U.S. death toll in Operation Epic Fury to at least 13 service members. About 200 U.S. service members have been injured, including 10 severely, the Pentagon has said.
Wednesday's dignified transfer was closed to news media coverage at the request of the families in accordance with military policy. Trump spent just under two hours on the ground and didn't speak to reporters leaving Air Force One or returning to it.
Trump last traveled to Dover Air Force Base on March 7 for the dignified transfer of six U.S. service members who were killed by a drone strike at a command center in Kuwait. He saluted as flag-draped transfer cases containing the remains of the fallen service members were carried from military aircraft to vehicles waiting to take them to the base's mortuary facility to prepare them for their final resting place.
“It's the bad part of war,” he told reporters afterward. Asked then if he worried about having to make multiple trips to the base for additional dignified transfers as the war continued, he said, “I'm sure. I hate to do it, but it's a part of war, isn't it?”
U.S. Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East, said that the crash followed an unspecified incident involving two aircraft in “friendly airspace” over Iraq but that the loss of the aircraft during a combat mission was “not due to hostile or friendly fire.” The circumstances were under investigation. The other plane landed safely.
The crash killed three people assigned to the 6th Air Refueling Wing at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida: Maj. John A. “Alex” Klinner, 33, who served in Birmingham, Alabama; Capt. Ariana Linse Savino, 31, of Covington, Washington; and Tech. Sgt. Ashley Pruitt, 34, of Bardstown, Kentucky.
Klinner, who left behind a wife, a 2-year-old son and 7-month-old twins, was known for his steady command and goofy nature, as well as a willingness to help others. Pruitt’s husband described her as a “radiant” woman who lit up the room. Savino was a friend, mentee and “source of positive energy” who was proud of her Puerto Rican heritage and inspired young Latinas, said Nisperos, who is serving as spokesman for her family.
“She had had this warmth that made you feel seen, a strength that showed up in everything she touched, and a spark — that spice — that made her unforgettable,” Nisperos said. “If you knew her, even for a moment, you knew you were in the presence of someone who was going to change the world.”
The three others were assigned to the 121st Air Refueling Wing at Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base in Columbus, Ohio: Capt. Seth Koval, 38, a resident of Stoutsville, Ohio, who was from Mooresville, Indiana; Capt. Curtis Angst, 30, who lived in Columbus; and Master Sgt. Tyler Simmons, 28, of Columbus.
Koval grew up dreaming of becoming a pilot, according to his wife, who described him as a loving, generous “fixer of all things.” Angst’s family said his life was defined by service, generosity and “a genuine love for people.” Simmons loved confiding in his 85-year-old grandmother and working out with her, Sen. Jon Husted said Tuesday, when he and Sen. Bernie Moreno honored the Ohio airmen on the Senate floor.
“To the mom and dad of these three young soldiers, I can’t even process what you’re going through. I can’t even imagine the emotions that you’re feeling,” Moreno said. “Just know that America is grateful beyond words for the sacrifice that your heroic young sons made.”
Associated Press writers Holly Ramer in Concord, N.H., and Hallie Golden in Seattle contributed to this report.
President Donald Trump arrives on Air Force One, Wednesday, March 18, 2026, at Dover Air Force Base, Del., to attend the casualty return for the six crew members of an Air Force refueling aircraft who died when their plane crashed in western Iraq while supporting operations against Iran. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
President Donald Trump pumps his fist as he walks to depart on Marine One from the South Lawn of the White House, Wednesday, March 18, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
This image provided by the Ohio National Guard shows Tech Sgt. Tyler Simmons. (Ohio National Guard via AP)
This image provided by the Ohio National Guard shows Capt. Seth R. Koval. (Ohio National Guard via AP)
This image provided by the Ohio National Guard shows Capt. Curtis J. Angst. (Ohio National Guard via AP)
FILE - A U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker refueling tanker aircraft takes off from the Kadena Air Base airfield in Kadena town, west of Okinawa, southern Japan, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae, File)
FILE - President Donald Trump salutes as an Army carry team moves a flag-draped transfer case with the remains of Sgt. Declan Coady, 20, of West Des Moines, Iowa, who was killed in a drone strike at a command center in Kuwait after the U.S. and Israel launched its military campaign against Iran, during a casualty return, March 7, 2026, at Dover Air Force Base, Del. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)
President Donald Trump steps off Air Force One, Saturday, March 7, 2026, at Dover Air Force Base, Del. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
