Ilia Malinin delivered a strong performance in the men’s short program at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
He earned a score of 108.16, placing him in first ahead of Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama.
Malinin holds a five-point lead going into the free skate on Friday, Feb. 13.
The American skater is the only one to land a backflip multiple times in a Winter Olympics.
MILAN — When Ilia Malinin came out for the men’s short program warmups, he delivered a combination of jabs and uppercuts to the camera, simulating a boxer right before a prize-fight.
It was a preview to the rest of the field: The No. 1 contender is coming to the ring, and he’s coming for the world championship.
After his sensational free skate secured Team USA gold in the team event on Sunday, Malinin returned to the ice on Tuesday and looked every bit like what everyone expected him to be at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Malinin was the man in the arena, and he earned a standing ovation for it.
“I definitely felt like I was in a better zone this time,” he said.
There wasn’t a quad Axel, but Malinin did just about everything right in his second go-around with the program after his first run wasn’t as sharp as it was expected to be. His opening quad flip wasn’t perfect, but it was right on the edge of it. He only improved from there, including the outstanding quad lutz-triple toe loop combination that really proved he was on top of his game.
He topped it off with the signature backflip, the third time he’s executed it in his three performances here, the only skater to ever land it multiple times in a Winter Olympics.
The scary part? He said he was just cruising the entire time.
“I really just push the autopilot button and just let it produce,” Malinin said.
The 21-year-old got a much better score this time around compared to what he had in the team event — a whopping 108.16 to put himself in first place, with Yuma Kagiyama of Japan – who beat him in the team event – left to compete.
Kagiyama couldn’t replicate the performance and finished second with a score of 103.07.
Will Ilia Malinin win a gold medal?
Although not large, a five-point lead is substantial for Malinin heading into the free skate on Friday, Feb. 13, after which an Olympic champion will be crowned. Kagiyama and Adam Siao Him Fa of France, who sit in second and third, respectively, after the short program, will need the performances of their lives — or a disastrous outing from Malinin — to spoil the coronation.
Malinin’s free skate effort in the team competition was heroic, but it wasn’t a perfect outing for the “Quad God,” and he scored a 200.03. Kagiyama didn’t handle the free skate duties for Japan, but his season-best in it is a 193.64. Siao Him Fa’s best free skate of the season is a 196.08.
The pressure could be on Malinin, but he isn’t fazed.
“Having that attention, all those eyes on you, that pressure really shows you who you truly are on the ice,” he said. “It’s another skill to be able to perform it under pressure. I think that’s something I really enjoy.”
The rest of the field better prepare, because Malinin is one punch away from landing the knockout blow.