Winter Olympics: Ilia Malinin goes for second figure-skating gold – dwell | Winter Olympics 2026
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Key occasions
Naumov will get a 137.71, tenth of the 11 skaters to this point. Total, he’s at 223.36.
He smiles and holds up the image of himself, barely older than a toddler, taking the ice together with his dad and mom, and it’s very dusty in right here unexpectedly.
The large display screen over the ice has a message from Naumov saying, “Mother and Dad, that is for you.”
However his first soar ruins the script – a fall on a quad salchow try. He lands a triple axel however hits the ice once more on a quad salchow. A triple axel-double axel is downgraded, and he simply appears underconfident on most of his remaining jumps.
His technical rating is sort of 30 factors behind Egadze’s. And Egadze fell on his first soar.
It’s superb, in fact, that he made it to this stage after shedding his dad and mom as he did. And teddy bears fly from the stands as he finishes. He talked about one thing about that on this entertaining determine skating explainer.
Egadze shakes his head as he finishes. He’s being too exhausting on himself. He’ll certainly transfer into first among the many skaters who’ve gone to this point.
Looks like an extended watch for this rating. There it’s – 175.16, the perfect free skate to this point. He’s first with a complete of 260.27.
Right here comes Maxim Naumov.
Redemption time for Nika Egadze, however he falls straight away off an underrotated quad lutz. He responds with three terrific leaping passes – quad toeloop, quad salchow-triple toeloop, triple axel. The scores on these are all solidly inexperienced, which means he acquired greater than the bottom worth for that component.
He will get big scores on a quad salchow-triple toeloop mixture. Then it’s a triple flip-double axel-double axel … you get the thought. Since his fall, he has put collectively three minutes of stellar skating.
Pending opinions, his technical rating is 99.42, means forward of Miura’s 92.72. Think about if he had landed the primary soar.
Enormous mistake to open Rizzo’s program, popping a quad toeloop to a double. That’s plenty of factors already out the window. However his subsequent components are stronger. He smiles as he glides by the judges’ desk. He appears OK on a triple axel – I assumed the touchdown was just a little dodgy, however the judges apparently don’t. A triple-triple goes effectively.
You would all the time surprise what the rating would’ve been had he not had the error proper off the bat, however he recovered fantastically. He as soon as once more comes as much as the judges’ desk earlier than he finishes, and he will get an exquisite ovation.
There’s no exuberant celebration as within the staff occasion, when he sealed bronze for Italy, however he appears proud of that.
As am I, as a result of now I by no means once more have to listen to a bit of music that’s such a downer when it’s important to play it for 4 middle-school courses in sooner or later. I ought to change my aspect gigs.
It’s a 158.88, almost 10 factors off his finest, and he slides into third with a 243.18 total.
It’s a 144.02 within the free and a 226.46 whole for Vasiljevs.
The group roars, which may solely imply one factor … right here comes Matteo Rizzo.
Deniss Vasiljevs warmed up with some boxing. Once more – no quads deliberate. He opens with a powerful triple axel-double toeloop, then one other triple axel that’s beneath evaluate. He fumbles the touchdown on what was speculated to be a triple-triple however grew to become a triple-double.
He appears to be altering his program on the fly, certainly intentional in some locations however not in others, dropping one deliberate component to a comparatively easy double salchow simply previous the midway level. He will get by way of a triple lutz-double axel-double axel sequence however loses a bit in his execution marks, as he does on a triple flip.
The music is enjoyable, however his technical scores are greater than eight factors behind Selevko’s. Even with excessive part scores, he’ll drop just a few locations.
Aleksandr Selevko has an entertaining program, capturing the emotional peaks of the music. He blasts out of the gate with a quad-triple and a quad, then a triple axel-double and a triple axel. However he botches the touchdown of a triple lutz and pops one triple right into a double. That’s a 154.80 for the free skate, 236.82 whole. He drops behind Miura and Britschgi, the standouts of Group 1.
Group 2 begin listing
Aleksander Selevko (Estonia) will open with a quad lutz and a quad-triple, nevertheless it’s calmer after that. Music is Adagio for Strings and Storm. Should be powerful to conduct that storm.
Deniss Vasiljevs (Latvia – sure, “Deniss”) is skating to some Khachaturian. Good. He’s been round some time and was sixth on the earth championships eight years in the past. He has no quads deliberate.
Matteo Rizzo (Italy) would like to recapture among the magic from the staff occasion. He has one quad and a few triple axels, one together. Music is … oh, proper … Interstellar. Perhaps I can mute? Sure, certain, it’s Hans Zimmer, it’s good, nevertheless it’s dreary even by determine skating classical requirements.
Nika Egadze (Georgia) will hoping to neglect the staff occasion. He has 4 quads deliberate, three of them proper initially and two of them together. Music is “Crusing, Verve, Sail.” Yacht rock?
Maxim Naumov (USA) can be skating to honor his dad and mom, who died within the airplane crash over the Potomac just a little greater than a yr in the past. He’ll open with a quad-double and may have one other quad. Music is In This Shirt by the Irrepressibles.
Jin Boyang (China) has twice taken bronze on the earth championships – 2016 and 2017. He’s skating to Excellent Symphony and has two quads, one together.
Standings after Group 1
Oh my, Britschgi was shut. Eighteen skaters to go.
246.88 Miura (Japan)
246.64 Britschgi (Switzerland)
222.25 Samoilov (Poland)
219.06 Carrillo (Mexico)
214.33 Li (Chinese language Taipei)
202.38 Hagara (Slovakia)
Arising in Group 2 after an extended break for resurfacing – Italian staff occasion hero Matteo Rizzo and the USA’s Maxim Naumov.
Switzerland’s Lukas Britschgi flexed his muscle tissues and the arms fell off his shirt.
OK, it’s an outdated joke, however he’s certainly carrying a type of tank high with frills.
He was nineteenth after the brief program however could very effectively transfer up just a few locations if he can sustain the momentum from the primary half of this routine. He nails an excellent quad-triple and one other quad. A triple axel-double axel-double axel will get good scores. It’s a enjoyable program to look at.
However he falters about two-thirds of the way in which by way of with a shaky touchdown on a triple lutz, and he drops a triple-triple to a double-double. That will preserve him from matching Miura’s 170.11 free / 246.88 whole.
Hagara’s scores aren’t good – 122.08 for the free skate, 202.38 whole. Barring a disaster for one of many skaters nonetheless to carry out, he’ll find yourself in twenty fourth place.
Slovakia’s Adam Hagara makes an attempt a quad toeloop, nevertheless it’s apparent as he takes off that he received’t be capable of land it. He rebounds with a triple axel-double toeloop, however he falls on a triple axel.
Can he land a deliberate triple-double axel-double axel? Certainly he can. It doesn’t appear too fluid however will get a constructive grade of execution, as does a triple flip. However he drops a triple loop to a double loop.
Full credit score for persevering with by way of the remainder of this system with a little bit of swagger, as if nothing has gone incorrect. He instantly shakes his head after it ends, although.
The music was speculated to be James Bond-related, however I heard nothing like that.
The “human” on the finish of the title on Vladimir Samoilov’s music is definitely a remix of Human by Rag’n’Bone Man. Sadly, he has a nasty tumble on a quad lutz and has to place a hand down on a quad salchow, forcing him to name off the second half of the mix. He later does a double-double as an alternative of a triple-triple. He manages one stable triple-triple towards the top, and he has some good creative prospers.
He provides a cartwheel earlier than ending simply in entrance of the judges’ desk with a smile.
That’s the sort of program you’d get pleasure from in an exhibition. Pity concerning the errors right here, however nobody on this group goes to make it into the highest 10, anyway. He’ll certainly drop behind Miura – and certainly he does, with a 144.68 free skate and 222.25 whole.
Kao Miura had a disappointing brief program, and it’s clear early on that the free skate received’t be a lot better. His opening quad is powerful, however he falls on a quad salchow. His quad-triple mixture is downgraded, as are a number of of his spins.
However he lands a triple axel-euler-triple flip mixture to indicate his appreciable talent stage. The subsequent triple axel has a wobbly touchdown.
He’s undoubtedly the perfect dressed to this point, with a sharp-looking vest and pocket sq..
His season finest is 175.14, far forward of the skaters who’ve gone earlier than him right here. He solely wants a 142.30 to complete forward of them, and he will get 92.65 on technical components alone even with the autumn and the downgrades. The part scores are beneficiant, and he will get a 170.11 (whole 246.88).
Donovan Carrillo is certainly skating to Elvis music, however the association emphasizes the piano over Presley’s voice by way of most of it. Towards the top, the large voice boomed by way of the world, adopted by the upbeat A Little Much less Dialog that featured in some legendary soccer advertisements with Eric Cantona a few years in the past.
He runs into some points. His first two quads get damaging grades of execution. A triple axel is deemed underrotated, as is the second triple in a triple-triple combo. A posh triple-double axel-double axel is stable, however he pops out of a triple lutz and solely lands a single.
Nonetheless, it’s a season finest 143.50 for a complete of 219.06, and he kisses the ice after he’s carried out.
As I feared, that was a canopy model of Eleanor Rigby. No McCartney tonight.
It’s a clear program for Li Yu-Hsiang, however the jumps actually aren’t on the stage of the opposite skaters’ routines. Essentially the most dazzling a part of his routine is a closing spin wherein he alters place a number of occasions and appears to hold on perpetually. He finishes with a smile, then lies down on the ice as if making a snow angel.
However it’s almost 5 factors off his season finest – 141.92, for a complete of 214.33. Malinin can be hoping to attain someplace in that neighborhood in his free skate alone.
Li is because of begin at 19:08 native time, which … can be now.
Malinin is because of begin at 22:48.
Get snug.
Li’s on the ice now …
Group 1 begin listing
The 24 skaters on this competitors will go in teams of six and in reverse order from the place they have been ranked after the brief program.
So who will you see, what’s going to they try, and what’s going to you hear musically? (Please, no extra from the Interstellar soundtrack. I’m attempting to be in a contented place immediately.)
The primary group, ranked twenty fourth by way of nineteenth after the brief program …
Li Yu-Hsiang (Chinese language Taipei): Already improved from thirtieth in final yr’s world championships, he’s solely making an attempt one quad and a few mixtures. Music is Eleanor Rigby – the beginning listing says it’ll be from The Beatles, however we so usually hear such music reimagined for these competitions as a result of we are able to’t have good issues.
Donovan Carrillo (Mexico): His finest end on the earth championships is fifteenth in 2024. He’ll come out swinging with two quads, a combo beginning with a triple axel and one other triple axel. Two extra combos within the again half: triple-triple and triple flip-double axel-double axel. Music is given as “Elvis Presley choice.” That narrows it down.
Kao Miura (Japan): The winner of final month’s 4 Continents Championship can be disillusioned to be on this place immediately, however he plans to rally by beginning with a quad loop, quad salchow, and a quad-triple combo. He’ll add have two triple axels, one main right into a combo. Music is Les Parapluies de Cherbourg. That’s in all probability not a Ramones observe.
Vladimir Samoilov (Poland): After going tenth within the staff occasion brief program, he’ll do his first Olympic free skate with a quad lutz, quad-triple and a triple axel. He’s obtained two triple-triples. The music is one thing referred to as Lay My Physique Down, Actually Sluggish Movement Human. That certainly can’t be translated appropriately.
Adam Hagara (Slovakia): One quad, two triple axels (one main right into a triple-double combo), a triple-triple, and a triple-double axel-double axel. Music is known as “James Bond 007.” Seems like enjoyable.
Lukas Britschgi (Switzerland): The 2025 European champion will open with a quad-triple, then a quad, then a triple axel-double axel-double axel. A triple-triple comes up later. Music is “Journey Via the Orient.”
Threat and reward
Malinin can certainly win with a stable program that doesn’t embrace the quadruple axel.
In the event you have been Malinin, would you try it?
Me, no – I can’t even skate backwards. However it’s not only a perform of bodily skill right here. It’s a query of what you’ll be able to deal with mentally or emotionally, and it’s a query of what you wish to accomplish.
If we’re all guessing, we’d need to say Malinin will go for it as a result of he doesn’t simply need gold. He desires to make historical past. He desires to skate over to the kiss and cry this night realizing that he has simply carried out issues nobody has seen within the Olympics.
Years of coaching that come down a second. However would he wish to stroll away questioning “What if?”
And he would possibly even throw a backflip for good measure – authorized however not one thing isn’t even graded as a technical component.
So that you wish to be a closely favored Olympian …
I’ve to start out immediately by confessing two biases …
First, Ilia Malinin isn’t simply from my residence nation (USA). Not simply my residence area (metro space: Washington, DC). He’s from my hometown (Vienna, Va.). You would run a 5k street race from my residence to his highschool. I do know individuals who’ve taught him. I do know individuals who’ve skated with him. I might simply stumble upon him on a fast-food run this summer season if his dietary decisions are as dangerous as mine.
Second, I’ve lengthy thought that one of many saddest issues that may occur within the Olympics is to see somebody who has dominated for 3 years one way or the other lose it on the game’s largest stage – and within the case of far too many individuals, the one stage on which they’re seen in any respect.
The danger of such a loss in worse in some sports activities than in others. When Usain Bolt was on the beginning line for a race, he knew that he was merely sooner than everybody else there, and nothing might cease him getting gold apart from a catastrophic downside getting out of the beginning blocks. Michael Phelps and Katie Ledecky have been by no means going to go away the Olympics empty-handed, partly as a result of they’d a number of particular person races to try.
And in plenty of sports activities, athletes can afford one or two errors. Rachel Homan’s Canadian curling staff had an uncharacteristic bushel of inaccurate photographs in a loss to the USA immediately, however that’s only one recreation within the spherical robin. The Soviet Union hockey staff didn’t lose to the USA in 1980 due to one play; the USA needed to generate offense by way of about three-fourths of the sport after which maintain on because the Soviets fired away at Jim Craig’s objective. (And the USA nonetheless virtually handed again the benefit, trailing of their final recreation earlier than rallying.)
Additionally, the result could generally be out of the athletes’ fingers. Nobody will ever supply an air-tight protection of the choice to present Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron the ice dancing gold medal, and all Madison Chock and Evan Bates can do is stroll away realizing that they skated in addition to they may probably skate. (Sure, in case you don’t comply with US media and have been questioning – folks on this nation aren’t very blissful about that call.)
However generally, accidents can strike on the incorrect time, as they did to Lindsey Vonn a number of occasions. Or a skate edge can lose the millimeter of grip it has on the ice. Or a flip of the skis might be an inch away from the place it must be. Within the worst case, think about Mikaela Shiffrin, who overcompensated for her DNFs in Beijing by going out too slowly within the staff occasion right here, and all however probably the most hard-hearted folks can be holding their breaths when the GOAT subsequent races.
Malinin has carried out incomprehensible issues within the sport. He’s the one individual to land a quadruple axel in competitors, and he’s carried out it greater than a dozen occasions. However does he have that elusive mixture of confidence and tranquility to do it when the entire world is watching?
The traditional knowledge earlier than the Olympics was that he might afford a few bobbles and nonetheless win as a result of the jumps that he makes an attempt are on a unique airplane from most skaters. However he was crushed within the staff occasion brief program, and his margin within the staff occasion lengthy program and the person occasion’s brief program has been significantly nearer than most individuals figured. He’ll be beneath immense strain immediately from Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama.
So be part of us as we watch 24 excellent skaters attempting to indicate their finest after we’re all watching. And for the final of them, Malinin, maintain your breath with everybody else.
Beau can be right here shortly. Within the meantime, right here’s how the staff occasion went:
America held off a late cost from Japan to retain the Olympic staff determine skating title on Sunday, with Ilia Malinin delivering within the males’s free skate to safe gold after three days of competitors. Japan completed with silver, whereas host nation Italy claimed bronze.
America survived a final-day surge from Japan to retain the Olympic staff determine skating title on Sunday evening, with Ilia Malinin delivering beneath intense strain within the males’s free skate to safe gold on the Milano Cortina Video games. Japan completed one level behind in silver, whereas host nation Italy claimed bronze after three days of tightly contested competitors.
The ultimate standings – 69 factors for the USA, 68 for Japan and 60 for Italy – mirrored simply how slender the margin was in probably the most dramatic Olympic staff occasions because the format was launched in 2014. What had begun as a snug American lead after two days changed into a head-to-head showdown within the last session, finally determined by the game’s most technically formidable skater.
American hopes had rested closely on Malinin, the 21-year-old two-time world champion who has gone greater than two years with out shedding a contest. However he entered the decisive free skate carrying uncommon strain after a below-par brief program on Saturday left the defending champions susceptible. When Japan erased the remaining US cushion earlier Sunday, the result successfully got here all the way down to Malinin versus Japan’s Shun Sato within the last self-discipline.
You may learn the complete report under:
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