Milano-Cortina, Italy — February 13, 2026 — The men’s figure skating event at the 2026 Winter Olympics has pretty much stolen the show so far. All eyes are on American sensation Ilia Malinin, who’s leading the pack after an electrifying short program and a few jaw-dropping moments on the ice.
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Ilia Malinin Grabs the Spotlight
People call Ilia Malinin the “Quad God,” and you can see why. He’s been front and center at the Milano Ice Skating Arena, pulling off tough jumps and nailing his signature artistic style. Right now, he’s sitting at the top of the leaderboard, just ahead of Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama and France’s Adam Siao Him Fa—both big names, both hungry for gold.
But Malinin isn’t just stacking up points; he’s making history. He landed a legal backflip—a move the skating world hadn’t seen in Olympic competition for decades, ever since the International Skating Union brought it back in 2024. The crowd went wild. Other skaters did too. If there was any doubt about Malinin’s star power, that moment erased it.
Medal Race: No Room for Error
After the first round, things are tight. Here’s where they stand:
Ilia Malinin (USA): On top after a killer short program.
Yuma Kagiyama (Japan): Right on his heels, hitting near-perfect quads that keep fans on the edge of their seats.
Adam Siao Him Fa (France): Steady and sharp, he’s staying in the medal hunt with clean technical routines.
It’s close. The free skate is coming up, and that’s usually where everything gets decided. One mistake or a perfect skate can easily flip the standings.
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From Team Triumph to Solo Ambitions
Earlier in the Games, Malinin and the American team clinched another team gold, barely edging out Japan by a single point. That win set the stage for the individual battle and showed just how deep the U.S. bench really is. Figure skating in Milano-Cortina is all about pushing limits while honoring tradition. Skaters are landing bigger jumps, getting more creative with choreography, and constantly finding new ways to balance risk and beauty. Malinin’s routines—daring, technical, and magnetic—sum up the new direction of the sport.
With medals on the line and the free skate just ahead, fans everywhere are glued to their screens. The tension’s high. The stakes are higher. And Olympic history is up for grabs on the ice.
