Winter Olympics 2026: USA’s Ilia Malinin finds his footing at Milano Cortina, leads after men’s short program
The real Ilia Malinin has arrived. After two somewhat tentative skates during the team competitions, the two-time reigning world champion from the United States delivered an electrifying performance on Tuesday evening, February 10, to take the lead in the men’s short program at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026.
Malinin recorded an impressive score of 108.16, narrowly ahead of Japan’s Kagiyama Yuma, who garnered a score of 103.07. Rounding out the top three was France’s Adam Siao Him Fa with a score of 102.55.
“I did not think it would be that heavy,” Malinin stated, reflecting on the pressures of the Olympic atmosphere. “I thought that I could come into this like any other competition, but I definitely underestimated it.” Now comfortably accustomed to the pressures, he feels he has finally tamed the Olympic ice.
Known as “The Quad God,” Malinin dazzled the audience by landing two clean quadruple jumps—the quad flip and a quad Lutz into a triple toe combination—complemented by a dynamic triple Axel, all set to an engaging soundtrack from The Lost Crown.
After executing his final jumping pass, he celebrated with a powerful fist bump to the captivated crowd inside the Milano Ice Skating Arena. The exhilarating last minute of his routine showcased his signature moves, including the famous Raspberry Twist, followed by a thrilling backflip that left fans on their feet.
“I was definitely having fun, and I was so excited for it,” said an animated Malinin.
As scores were announced, Malinin remained composed in the Kiss and Cry section, allowing coach Rafael Arutyunyan to savor the moment, exultantly angling his index finger skyward.
Having been previously outdone by Kagiyama, Malinin has silenced doubts about his gold medal hopes with this remarkable performance. Looking ahead to the long program, Malinin emphasized the importance of keeping a steady pace: “I’m really just going to take everything nice and slow, one step at a time.”
The quest for the men’s figure skating medals will continue on Friday, February 13, with the thrilling free skate competition.
