US skating star Ilia Malinin leads after near-perfect short program at the Milan Cortina Olympics

Malinin lands two quads and signature moves to take five-point lead over Japan's Yuma Kagiyama into free skate

Published on Feb. 11, 2026

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American figure skating phenom Ilia Malinin delivered a near-flawless short program at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, scoring 108.16 points and taking a five-point lead over Japan's Yuma Kagiyama heading into the decisive free skate. Malinin landed a pair of quadruple jumps, his signature "raspberry twist" move, and a jaw-dropping backflip to impress the crowd and establish himself as the overwhelming favorite for the gold medal.

Why it matters

Malinin, the two-time reigning world champion, is widely considered the best male figure skater of his generation. His dominant short program performance has set him up as the clear frontrunner for Olympic gold, though Kagiyama and other top contenders will look to challenge him in the free skate.

The details

Malinin opened his short program with a big quad flip and followed it up with a perfect triple axel, a quad lutz-triple toe loop combination that scored over 22 points, and his signature backflip and "raspberry twist" move. The 18-year-old American said he felt more calm and in control compared to his performance in the team event, where he was "too hyped up" with "Olympic excitement." Kagiyama, the reigning Olympic silver medalist, scored 103.07 points but had to step out of his final jump, a triple axel, costing him valuable points.

  • Malinin and Kagiyama will compete in the decisive free skate on Friday, February 14, 2026.

The players

Ilia Malinin

An 18-year-old American figure skating phenom and two-time reigning world champion, considered the best male figure skater of his generation.

Yuma Kagiyama

A Japanese figure skater and the reigning Olympic silver medalist, who finished second to Malinin in the short program.

Tomas-Llorenc Guarino Sabate

A Spanish figure skater who performed a "Minions"-themed program, overcoming a copyright issue that had threatened to prevent him from doing so.

Maxim Naumov

An American figure skater whose parents were killed in a plane crash just over a year ago, fulfilling their shared dream of performing at the Olympics.

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What they’re saying

“In the team event, I think I had too much, I'll call it, 'Olympic excitement.' It really just felt like there was so much pressure. I was so hyped up, so excited to skate out there and it really came back and beat me.”

— Ilia Malinin (fm99.com)

“So coming to this short program, in an individual event, I wanted to take things a little more slowly, a little more calm, and honestly just push the auto-pilot button and see what happens.”

— Ilia Malinin (fm99.com)

“This is sports. You never know what is going to happen.”

— Yuma Kagiyama (fm99.com)

“Whatever life throws at you, if you can be resilient and push a little bit more than you think, you can do so much more. You have to have that willpower and do things you love, and that's exactly what I am going to do.”

— Maxim Naumov (fm99.com)

What’s next

Malinin and Kagiyama will compete in the decisive free skate on Friday, February 14, 2026, where Malinin will look to solidify his status as the favorite for the Olympic gold medal.

The takeaway

Ilia Malinin's dominant short program performance has established him as the clear frontrunner for the men's figure skating gold medal at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, though he will still need to deliver in the free skate to clinch the title. The competition remains wide open, with Kagiyama and other top contenders looking to challenge Malinin's supremacy.