OLYMPICS: Figure skating-Malinin powers US past Japan to team gold in Milan

MILAN — Ilia Malinin lived up to his “Quad God” nickname as he powered the United States past Japan to claim gold in the team event at the Milano Cortina Winter Games on Sunday, capping a dramatic competition that also saw host Italy capture the bronze medal.

With the United States and Japan tied heading into the men’s free skate, the 21-year-old Malinin delivered when it mattered most, even without his best performance. His effort secured the decisive point the Americans needed to win their second consecutive Olympic team title.

“I’m proud of myself,” Malinin said. “I’m proud of my team for all the work they’ve put into this event. Without each other, this wouldn’t have happened.”

Malinin had been expected to attempt seven quadruple jumps but scaled back to five. He stumbled on his quad Lutz and downgraded two planned quads — including the quad Axel — to triples. Still, he rallied with a powerful quad toe loop and quad Salchow in combination and thrilled the crowd with a one-legged backflip at the Milano Ice Skating Arena.

His score of 200.03 points was nearly 40 points below his season best but enough to defeat Japan’s Shun Sato, who skated cleanly but could not match Malinin’s technical difficulty.

“Honestly, the moment still hasn’t settled in,” Malinin said. “I haven’t really realized yet that I’m wearing an Olympic gold medal. It’s an unreal feeling and gives me so much confidence heading into the individual event.”

The United States finished with 69 points, edging Japan by one point. Italy earned bronze with 60 points. Malinin now heads into the individual competition as the clear favorite in his Olympic debut.

The U.S. team featured veterans Madison Chock and Evan Bates in ice dancing, Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea in pairs, and Alysa Liu in women’s singles. For Chock and Bates, the gold medal was especially meaningful after the delayed medal ceremony following the Beijing 2022 Games, when a failed drug test by a Russian skater altered the results and postponed medal presentations for more than two years.

Japan Fight Back

Japan entered the final day trailing the United States by five points but mounted a strong comeback. World champions Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara delivered a season-best 155.55 in pairs skating, highlighted by a triple twist lift and a dramatic closing pose.

“We were aiming for around 145, so when we saw 155, we were overwhelmed with emotion,” Miura said.

Kaori Sakamoto then tied the competition with a commanding win in the women’s free skate, scoring 148.62 points. American Amber Glenn finished third after struggling early in her routine, wiping out the U.S. lead and setting the stage for Malinin’s decisive performance.

“I just didn’t feel my best physically,” Glenn said. “My legs felt heavy.”

Despite falling just short, Japan held its head high after pushing the favored Americans to the limit.

“Everyone delivered a gold-medal performance,” said Sakamoto, a three-time world champion. “So the color of the medal doesn’t really matter.”

Italy Shine at Home

In the battle for bronze, Italy thrilled the home crowd as Matteo Rizzo produced a career-best performance to keep his team ahead of Canada and Georgia. Backed by solid skates from Lara Naki Gutmann and pairs team Sara Conti and Niccolò Macii, Rizzo sealed Italy’s first Olympic figure skating medal since 2014.

As his routine ended, Italian teammates chanted “bronze, bronze,” and Rizzo collapsed to the ice in tears before celebrating with his team.

“I have no words to describe skating the best program of my life at the Olympics with the crowd cheering,” Rizzo said. “I couldn’t hear the music anymore — only the people and my teammates.”

Notable spectators at the arena included Paris Olympic tennis gold medalist Novak Djokovic, NBA Hall of Famer Pau Gasol, and eight-time Olympic short-track medalist Apolo Ohno, adding to the electric atmosphere on the outskirts of Milan. -Reporting by Rory Carroll, Lori Ewing, Agnieszka Flak, Valentina Za and Elvira Pollina in Milan; Editing by Pritha Sarkar and Stephen Coates/Reuters