The ‘Quad God’ Meets Resistance On The Road To Olympic Gold

One of the defining names of the Milan-Cortina Olympics is 21-year-old American Ilia Malinin — known as the “Quad God” — who is widely predicted to dominate men’s figure skating. But as he learned over the weekend, the gold medals won’t simply be handed to him.

This first-time Olympian from Virginia was already regarded as the most technically gifted skater in the world before he stepped onto Olympic ice.

But the nickname of the two-time world champion comes from his extraordinary skills, particularly his ability to rotate four and a half times in the air. Malinin first completed the quadruple axel in 2022, a feat unmatched by any other skater, and it has remained his signature move ever since.

In terms of raw difficulty, Malinin occupies a space in figure skating similar to Simone Biles in gymnastics. Since debuting the quadruple axel, he has consistently pushed the technical ceiling of the sport.

But that sense of inevitability was challenged over the weekend when Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama delivered a stellar routine, outscoring Malinin by ten points in Saturday’s men’s short program. The result dropped Malinin to second place and disrupted Team USA’s pursuit of another gold medal.

The team event, which debuted in 2014, consists of eight figure skating segments: men’s short program and free skate, women’s short program and free skate, pairs short program and free skate, and the ice dance rhythm dance and free dance. Each segment awards points to the team, with ten points for first place, nine for second, and so on.

When Malinin lost to Kagiyama, the United States still held a one-point lead. A strong ice dance performance by Madison Chock and Evan Bates on Saturday kept Team USA on track, leaving gold within reach.

But the competition tightened Sunday after Amber Glenn delivered a choppy free skate and placed third, erasing the U.S. lead. The result left Team USA tied with Japan for first place, with only the men’s free skate remaining in the team event.

Malinin was not initially slated to compete in the final event, as he still had individual competitions ahead. But with the two rival countries tied at 59 points, the U.S. faced a simple reality: if it wanted gold, it needed Malinin and his quad jumps.

Malinin was called upon as the “closer,” with Team USA’s bid for back-to-back gold resting on his skates.

Under the pressure of his first Olympic medal, Malinin skated onto the ice in a shining black-and-gold costume and delivered five clean quadruple jumps, though he left out his signature quad axel. Despite a small stumble and hand placement on the ice, Malinin showed up with determination and slight vengeance. A hesitant smile overcame him when his score was revealed: 200.03 points, well below his personal best but enough to keep Team USA in contention.

Are you not entertained? ????

Ilia Malinin scored 200.03 points to secure the team event gold at the #WinterOlympics!

???? @nbc & @peacock pic.twitter.com/V8lwsh3YKY

— Team USA (@TeamUSA) February 8, 2026

Gold was within reach, with one last roadblock: Japan’s Shun Sato.

The 22-year-old then delivered a career-best routine, and the crowd waited in anxious anticipation for Sato’s scores. Sato had done everything he possibly could to win gold for Japan, but when 194.86 points appeared on the screen, it wasn’t enough, and Team USA clinched Olympic gold.

The spotlight returns to Malinin on Tuesday, when he opens his individual Olympic campaign in the short program, going head-to-head against his other Japanese rival, Kagiyama, who spoiled Malinin’s debut last weekend.