Milan: When it mattered most, Ilia Malinin proved why he is known as the “Quad God.”
The 21-year-old American star rose to the occasion on Sunday night at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, anchoring Team USA to a dramatic gold medal in the figure skating team event with a gutsy men’s free skate performance at the Milano Ice Skating Arena.
Skating last for the Americans with the overall standings tied with Japan, Malinin carried the weight of the gold-medal decision on his shoulders. Despite a brief mid-program stumble, he delivered a high-octane routine packed with five quadruple jumps — his trademark — scoring 200.03 points to edge Japan by a single point in the final team standings.
Japan’s Sato Shun responded with a career-best, emotionally charged free skate that earned 194.86 points, but it wasn’t enough to overturn Malinin’s advantage. The narrow margin sealed the United States’ second consecutive Olympic gold in the team event, making Team USA the first nation to successfully defend the title since the event’s Olympic debut at Sochi 2014.
“Going into the men’s free skate, I knew it was tied. I knew I was the deciding factor,” Malinin said after the event, gold medal around his neck. “I told myself, ‘This is your moment. It’s do-or-die.’ I let the nerves go and tried to enjoy it. Without this team, none of this would have been possible.”
Earlier contributions from Amber Glenn in women’s singles, Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea in pairs, and ice dance stars Madison Chock and Evan Bates kept the Americans in contention heading into the final segment. Alysa Liu also played a key role earlier in the competition, with the collective effort setting up Malinin’s decisive moment.
Japan settled for silver for the second straight Winter Games, while host nation Italy thrilled a packed home crowd to claim a historic bronze — the country’s first Olympic medal in the figure skating team event — highlighted by Matteo Rizzo’s rousing free skate and emotional celebration.
For Malinin, already one of the sport’s most electrifying talents, the Olympic medal marks a defining milestone — not just as a technical pioneer, but as a competitor who can deliver when Olympic glory is on the line.
Source: Milano Cortina 2026
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