Ilia Malinin continues to impress on the world stage, as seen by his performances at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan so far. The U.S. figure skater played a key role in helping his nation secure gold in the team event, scoring 200.03 points in the men’s free skate and contributing 10 team points.
Ilia Malinin’s Next Event At The Milan Olympics
Next, he took to the ice for the men’s singles short program on February 10, once again seizing the lead with 108.16 points. His routine, set to “The Lost Crown,” featured a flawless quad flip, a soaring quad Lutz-triple toe, and a powerful triple Axel, positioning him as the frontrunner for another gold.
Malinin arrived in Milan as a top contender, having captured World Championship gold in both 2024 and 2025, and claiming his fourth U.S. Championship title in 2026. In December 2025, he made history at the Grand Prix Final by winning his third consecutive gold and setting a free skate record of 238.24 with seven flawless quads, a feat never before achieved.
The figure skating star is now set to compete next in the men’s singles free skate on Friday, February 13, which is set to run from 1 pm. to 5:10 p.m. ET. This will determine whether he will secure a gold medal after leading in the short program. The event can be watched on USA Network, NBC, Peacock (digital only), and NBCOlympics.com.
The team event brought together ice dance (rhythm), pair skating (short), the women’s singles short program, and Malinin’s electrifying men’s short program. The U.S. team delivered standout performances across the board, outpacing Japan to capture the gold medal.
In an interview after the event, Malinin reflected on his performance as well as how the atmosphere was: “This event was just so on fire. It was like the environment, the atmosphere, the energy, the crowd, all of it was there, and it really felt like Olympic ice and it really just set me up to skate as much as I could.”
“I told myself, I was like, ‘This is your moment. It’s either do or die, you know, you have to go into this 100%,” said Malinin. “We really know that it’s all up to you, and I went in there with that mindset so I really just let everything take its course.”
Now, in his Olympic debut, Malinin is chasing a second gold medal. His journey is especially poignant after his controversial exclusion from the 2022 Games, despite a second-place finish at the U.S. Championships at just 17, due to limited international senior experience.
