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The cameraman who skates backward to capture Olympic triumph and defeat from the ice

Published: 17 Feb. 2026, 11:46

Jordan Cowan operates a steadicam before the pairs figure skating short program at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, on Feb. 15. [AP/YONHAP]

Jordan Cowan hoists his camera mount and glides across the Olympic rink as figure skating competitors warm up and, later, take their bows. Dressed in an ice-white tuxedo, he is as inconspicuous as possible.

The former U.S. competitive ice dancer is the first on-ice figure skating camera operator in Olympic history, capturing intimate moments that the overhead or sideboard cameras cannot. While he isn’t on the ice during the routines, Cowan skates backward immediately after each program to record up close what is often a raw moment of pure joy or disappointment to be broadcast globally to viewers at home and on big screens for the arena spectators.

“To be the first person out on the ice at the end of their performance is such a privilege, and I definitely want them to feel their feelings,″ Cowan said in an interview before the pairs short program on Sunday. “The ice is a sacred place for a skater.”

At no moment during these Games were the contrasting emotions starker and Cowan’s job more delicate than after American skater Ilia Malinin’s two free program skates.

The 21-year-old punched excitedly at Cowan’s camera after he aced his long program in the team competition, helping Team USA clinch the gold medal. But after Malinin botched his final free in the singles competition, Cowan kept his distance as the skater crumbled into a grimace of abject disappointment.

“I’m there to tell the audience, ‘It’s going to be OK, he’s still here.’ You know, you finish a program, you’re still alive. There’ll be another day. To see Ilia’s emotion really is just part of his story,” Cowan said.

While on-ice cameras have long been part of speed skating and hockey, Cowan has helped create the niche for figure skating.

After retiring from competitive skating in 2011, he worked in ballroom dancing and was inspired by how television motivated amateurs to learn new dances. He wanted the same for skating, so in 2018 he started his company, On Ice Perspectives. Since then, he has since been creating viral video moments from all levels of figure skating across his social media platforms.

Jordan Cowan operates a steadicam before the pairs figure skating short program at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, on Feb. 15. [AP/YONHAP]

At the Milan-Cortina Winter Games he is working for the Olympic Broadcasting Services, which provides footage to national broadcasting rights holders. He has filmed three U.S. Championships, the 2021 world exhibition gala and ice shows internationally.

Cowan loves when skaters engage with him as they leave the ice. Many realize he has a microphone and send messages to loved ones. They regularly make heart signs with their hands.

“For that brief window at the end of the program, when you get to take in the audience by yourself, by having this silent camera slowly available to you, it gives a special moment that we have never been able to capture before,'' he said.

Cowan trains with Pilates and yoga to handle the camera while matching athletes’ speed. He has designed his own rig, starting with a lightweight steady camera mounted on an electronic stabilized gimbal, maintaining a level horizon no matter how much wind he catches. He’s added manual focus, cinema zoom and wireless transmission.

Besides the skate-on and skate-off moments during competition, he is on the ice for the medal ceremonies. He will also be there for the closing gala, when the top competitors perform their crowd-pleasing signature moves.

Jordan Cowan operates a steadicam before the pairs figure skating short program at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, on Feb. 15. [AP/YONHAP]

The gala will present a unique challenge, as he will have to read their moves to both stay out of their way and also capture the moment. It’s a skill that competitive skaters pick up from training alongside teammates and competitors.

His skating abilities and familiarity with the athletes and their programs make it work. To blend into the icy background as much as possible, Cowan has been experimenting with both gray and white skating looks.

“I’ve trained myself to be able to follow skaters without knowing the choreography,” he said. “They know they don’t have to look out for me, and I’m going to do everything I can to stay out of their way because safety is my No. 1 priority. The perfect compliment I get is when the skaters say they didn’t even realize I was out there.”

AP