Ilia Malinin finishes second in Olympic team event debut

The 'Quadgod' paces himself for individual events after under-rotating a quad in the team competition.

Published on Feb. 7, 2026

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

Ilia Malinin, the world's best male figure skater, finished second in the Olympic team event short program after under-rotating a quad lutz. Malinin said he only skated at 50% of his full potential, wanting to pace himself for the upcoming individual events. Despite the subpar performance, the U.S. team holds a narrow lead heading into the final day of the team competition.

Why it matters

Malinin's surprise second-place finish was a setback for the U.S. team's hopes of defending their Olympic team gold medal. As the favorite to win individual gold, Malinin's decision to hold back has raised questions about his readiness for the pressure of the Olympics.

The details

In his first Olympic skate, Malinin under-rotated a quad lutz and looked shaky overall, finishing 10 points behind Japan's Yuma Kagiyama. Malinin said he only skated at 50% of his full potential, wanting to pace himself for the individual events starting Tuesday. Despite the subpar performance, the U.S. team maintains a narrow 5-point lead over Japan heading into the final day of the team competition.

  • Malinin under-rotated a quad lutz and finished second in the Olympic team event short program on Saturday, February 8, 2026.
  • The U.S. team will compete in the men's free skate on Sunday, February 9, 2026 to try and defend their team gold medal.

The players

Ilia Malinin

The world's best male figure skater, known as the 'Quadgod' for his ability to land all of skating's hardest quadruple jumps.

Yuma Kagiyama

A Japanese figure skater who finished first in the Olympic team event short program, beating Malinin by 10 points.

U.S. Figure Skating

The national governing body for figure skating in the United States, responsible for selecting and managing the U.S. Olympic figure skating team.

Justin Dillon

The chief high-performance officer for U.S. Figure Skating.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“That wasn't, of course, the perfect idea, you know, 100 percent skate that I would want to have had, but for the standard I set myself today, I think I achieved that.”

— Ilia Malinin (washingtonpost.com)

“Well, I presume to come into this team competition with only 50 percent of my full potential, so that's what I felt like here today.”

— Ilia Malinin (washingtonpost.com)

“I think today was far from perfect. I don't think anyone would have said that that was like a great performance, but I think it was a great step in the right direction.”

— Justin Dillon, Chief High-Performance Officer, U.S. Figure Skating (washingtonpost.com)

What’s next

The U.S. team will compete in the men's free skate on Sunday, February 9, 2026 to try and defend their team gold medal. Malinin is expected to skate again in the individual events starting on Tuesday, February 11, 2026.

The takeaway

Malinin's decision to hold back in the team event has raised questions about his readiness for the pressure of the Olympics, but the U.S. team remains in a strong position to defend their team gold medal. Malinin's individual events will be closely watched as he looks to live up to his 'Quadgod' reputation and bring home the gold.