2026 Winter Olympics Summary
It wasn’t exactly Ilia Malinin at his best, but even a less-than-stellar performance from him is still better than what most can manage worldwide.
The Olympic figure skating team event came down to a showdown between American Marin and Japan’s Shun Sato. The skater with the superior score in the free skate decided which nation would take home the gold.
Marinin stepped up to the plate, managing to seal the victory for the U.S. Despite slipping once during his routine, he led his team with a score of 200.03, eclipsing Sato and the rest of the competition.
Sato, who didn’t take as many risks as Malinin, had a smoother outing but ultimately scored 194.86, securing the gold for the United States. This marks the second Olympic win for the American team.
Reflecting on his mindset during the competition, Marinin remarked, “I thought, ‘Okay, I’m the deciding factor.'” This was particularly poignant considering the U.S. had been deprived of their medal at the Beijing Games due to a doping scandal. He added, “‘I just have to do what I have to do.'” In the end, the U.S. totaled 69 points, narrowly beating Japan’s score of 68 for silver, while Italy took home the bronze.
This latest win gave Team USA its second consecutive gold in this event. Marinin, a two-time reigning world champion, has been undefeated in his last 14 competitions, successfully landing five quadruple jumps, while Sato managed to execute three.
Event Recap
Before this round, the U.S. held a five-point lead over Japan. However, earlier performances that day put Japan’s Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara on top in the pairs, along with Kaori Sakamoto’s win in the women’s free, tying the two teams.
Marinin started strong with a flashy quad flip but opted for a safer triple axel later on. He faced some hurdles during his routine but maintained composure to finish strongly.
The son of former Olympic skaters, he executed a series of impressive jumps, including a quadruple toe-triple flip and a quadruple Salchow-triple Axel, much to the crowd’s delight.
Reflecting on his approach, Marinin said, “I knew it would be down to the men’s events, so I just went for it. It turned out exactly as planned, and I’m really thankful for that.” Just the day prior, he had had a more rocky performance in the short program, finishing second with a score of 98.00, behind Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama.
Looking ahead, he expressed a mixture of confidence and room for improvement, saying, “I think we’ll have to sit back and see what happens and be better next time.” The next day saw him perform near his peak potential, but he hinted there’s still more to achieve.
