In a thrilling display of athletic prowess, Ilia Malinin triumphed over Japanese competitor Shun Sato during an electrifying face-off at the Milan Cortina Olympics, securing gold for the U.S. figure skating team on Sunday night. This victory was crucial in maintaining the United States' hold on the team figure skating gold medal, decisively breaking a tie with Japan in the competition's final moments.
At just 21 years old, and affectionately dubbed the "Quad God," Malinin executed an impressive five quadruple jumps, amassing a remarkable score of 200.03 points for his free skate performance. This achievement came as redemption after a less-than-stellar short program the previous evening, particularly when measured against his own high expectations. In contrast, Sato followed up with three quads in his routine but managed to earn only 194.86 points, resulting in Japan securing its second consecutive silver medal in this event.
Ultimately, the U.S. team finished with a total of 69 points, edging out Japan, which concluded with 68 points. Italy, showcasing an outstanding performance from Matteo Rizzo, clinched the bronze medal with a score of 60 points, while Georgia took fourth place with 56 points, continuing its quest for a medal at the Winter Games.
Initially, the United States held a five-point lead over Japan after two days of competition. However, that cushion evaporated quickly as world champions Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara excelled in the pairs free skate, followed by Kaori Sakamoto’s victory in the women’s free skate earlier that same night.
Malinin, often recognized for his incredible finishing ability, opened his routine with a strong quad flip, chose to play it safe with a triple axel instead of attempting another quad, and despite encountering some minor mistakes, he concluded his performance impressively. The son of Olympic figure skaters Tatiana Malinina and Roman Skorniakov, he finished with two impressive combinations: a quad toe-triple flip and a quad salchow-triple axel, thrilling a crowd filled with both American and Japanese supporters.
Sato, on the other hand, executed a nearly flawless program, starting with a quad lutz and culminating in a triple lutz, delivering a clean routine that, albeit simpler than Malinin's, showcased his technical finesse. Upon finishing, he celebrated enthusiastically, eagerly awaiting the verdict on whether his score would be enough to secure gold.
The pairs kicked off the evening, where Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea delivered their most outstanding free skate performance to date, crucially overcoming the Canadian team and preventing the loss of a point needed to maintain pace with the victorious Japanese pairs. They achieved a score of 135.36 points, performing to iconic tracks like "Sweet Dreams" by the Eurythmics and "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" by Tears for Fears. Miura and Kihara shone as well, achieving a personal best of 155.55 points, narrowing the gap to just two points from the Americans with two events remaining.
"We couldn’t be prouder to perform with such energy around us," said O’Shea, who made his Olympic debut after serving as an alternate in 2018. "We entered the rink full of positive emotions and a proactive attitude, and that showed in our performance."
Following the pairs event, the spotlight shifted to the women’s segment, where the U.S. replaced world champion Alysa Liu with Amber Glenn. Unfortunately, Glenn struggled with her opening triple axel, the most challenging jump attempted among the female competitors, and had to incorporate a late double toe loop after missing an earlier triple in a combination. These errors resulted in a score of 138.62 points, placing her third in the segment. Sakamoto emerged victorious with 148.62 points, bringing Japan level with the U.S. in the overall standings. Meanwhile, Anastasiia Gubanova secured second place in the free skate, striving to keep Georgia in contention for bronze.
Reflecting on her performance, Glenn expressed her disappointment, stating, "It wasn’t how I wanted to feel. The adrenaline was high, but I think I just crashed a little bit."
In the end, it was Malinin who stepped up, rallying his fellow teammates and reinforcing the spirit of the American squad.
