How Ilia Malinin and Team U.S.A. Held Off Japan to Win Gold Medal

Feb. 8, 2026, 5:43 p.m. ETThe American figure skaters came into these Games with high expectations. The team event, which kicks off the program, was their opportunity to show what they can do. And the United States delivered with a hard-fought victory over Japan on Sunday. And who anchored the performance? Of course it was the Quad God, Ilia Malinin.ImageCredit...Vincent Alban/The New York TimesWith the United States and Japan tied, Malinin brought out his supremely difficult program. Although he put his hands to the ice at one point, and left out the most difficult jump in skating, the quad axel, he still executed enough difficult moves to beat Shun Sato of Japan and clinch the gold for the Americans. Here’s how it unfolded:ImageCredit...Vincent Alban/The New York TimesImageCredit...Vincent Alban/The New York TimesImageCredit...Vincent Alban/The New York TimesFirst up on Sunday was the pairs team of Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea, the Americans’ weakest link. Their free skate was smooth, with a bobble or two, but crucially, no falls. That was good enough for fourth place among the five finalists, just what the United States was looking for from them.ImageCredit...Vincent Alban/The New York TimesThe speedy Kaori Sakamoto of Japan skated a clean triple-laden program to place first comfortably and stamp herself as the favorite in the individual women’s event this year as well. The United States turned to Amber Glenn as its women’s skater for the final. Although Glenn hit her triples, her performance was a little scrappy, and she finished third. That left the Americans and Japan tied. Whichever of their male skaters finished higher would get the gold for his country.ImageCredit...Vincent Alban/The New York TimesImageCredit...Vincent Alban/The New York TimesImageCredit...Vincent Alban/The New York TimesSo the United States sent out Malinin, its heaviest hitter. On Sunday, his announced program was packed with quads, including the supremely difficult quad axel. He had elected not to do that skill the preliminary phase, in which he was defeated by Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama. Terrifyingly, Malinin called that fine effort “50 percent of my full potential.”ImageCredit...Vincent Alban/The New York TimesImageCredit...Vincent Alban/The New York TimesBut even without a quad axel, Malinin’s program was so full of other difficult moves that he was still able to beat out Sato, who skated a cleaner program but one with less difficulty. Italy’s Matteo Rizzo, who made the home crowd roar, finished with the bronze.ImageCredit...Vincent Alban/The New York TimesImageCredit...Vincent Alban/The New York TimesThe team gold belonged to the United States. And with Malinin still holding back the quad axel, more will be expected. Figure Skating: Team Event › Score Gold 69 Silver 68 Bronze 60 4 56 5 54 Victor Mather, who has been a reporter and editor at The Times for 25 years, covers sports and breaking news.Vincent Alban is a photojournalist and a member of the 2025-26 Times Fellowship class, a program for journalists early in their careers.