MILAN — This time, the United States didn’t have to wait two years. This gold wasn’t adjudicated through blood samples.
No, the Americans got their medals Sunday night at Milano Ice Skating Arena. This matter was settled on the ice and sealed by the depth and clutchness of U.S. Figure Skating. And, fittingly, punctuated by the best America has to offer the sport: Ilia Malinin.
It came down to the Quad God in the event he’s most dominant. Which meant it was effectively over before the men’s free skate began.
The 21-year-old prodigy-turned-superstar followed his less-than-stellar short program with his usual dynamite display. He landed five quad jumps. He did not do his signature quadruple axel, instead landing a triple axel. He also stumbled at the end of one, both hands touching the ice. It wasn’t peak Malinin. Still, he bested the field one night after finishing in second.
Malinin registered a 200.03 in his free skate — well shy of his personal best. Japan’s Shun Sato fell short of that by 5.17 points, with a 194.86. And in the end it proved a one-point win for America over Japan because of how the routines fit into the larger competition.
The U.S. finished with 69 points. Japan took second with 68 for the silver. Italy, before its home crowd, captured bronze after a rousing performance by Matteo Rizzo.
This performance by Malinin was a more proper global introduction to the superstar garnering all the hype. This was the Malinin who attacks the physics of the sport and changes paradigms about what’s possible. This was the Malinin who brims with charisma and understands the entertainment aspect of his most technical sport.
The U.S. now has two of the four Olympic gold medals to be had in the team event, which began at the 2014 Sochi Games. Russia won the inaugural competition there, followed by Canada in the Pyeongchang Games in 2018. The Americans took the bronze at those Olympics.
Last cycle, Russia appeared to take gold in Beijing with the U.S. winning silver. But Russian phenom Kamila Valieva, then 15, tested positive for a banned performance-enhancing drug with a sample taken six weeks before she competed. She was retroactively disqualified because the positive test emerged after she had already skated. The combined 20 points she delivered in the short program and the free skate were scratched from the total and the Americans were elevated to first place.
In July 2024, the Court of Arbitration for Sport rejected final appeals by the Russian Olympic Committee and the nine Americans who competed in the 2022 Beijing Games received their gold medals at the Paris Olympics.
Russia is banned as a nation from these Olympics due to the nation’s invasion of Ukraine, though some athletes from Russia are allowed to compete as individuals without technically representing their country. But Valieva, 19, did not qualify for the 2026 Olympics. Her ban ended in December 2025, which left her with not enough time to compete in enough events sanctioned by the International Skating Union.
With Russia out of the mix, the door was open for the United States — which boasts some of the best skaters in the world. The depth of the American field was flexed. Madison Chock and Evan Bates dominated the ice dance portion, winning both the rhythm program and free dance. Malinin and Alysa Liu both took second in their respective short programs, neither skating their best but got through their programs.
It added up to the U.S. entering the third-and-final day with a five-point lead and two of its best on the ice in Malinin and Glenn.
But, first, Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea started America off with their best skate of the season. With pairs not being a great strength for the U.S., Kam and O’Shea skated both the short program and the free skate. Every point they earned proved to matter.
After taking fifth in the short program, the duo came up clutch. They landed both throws — a triple lutz and triple loop. Kam has had a hard time staying on her feet in recent performances. But the pair that took fifth in the short program was on its game for the free skate. Dressed in all black with a touch of sparkly silver, Kam and O’Shea resembled every bit a refined duo. They carried the momentum of successful jumps into their lifts, highlighting O’Shea’s strength and Kam’s statuesque form.
They knew they nailed, too. Kam ran in place as she celebrated with her partner of nearly four years. They earned their highest free skate score as a duet: 135.36. The Canadians followed but couldn’t top the Americans, which finished fourth and earned seven points. Their best couldn’t have come at a better time. So O’Shea and Kam gained the U.S. an extra (and perhaps unexpected) point towards gold.
Glenn took the ice with a two-point cushion over Japan instead of a point. It was an underwhelming skate by Glenn. She landed her triple axel but not without a bit of a hitch on the landing. Still, it wasn’t the typical powerful and inspiring performance by Glenn, who made her Olympic debut Sunday.
She finished third behind Japan’s Kaori Sakamoto and Georgia’s Anastasiia Gubanova. Sakamoto, who bested American Alysa Liu in the short program, flaunted her superior technical prowess once again.
But Glenn did enough. Just enough. Thanks to the extra point picked up by Kam and O’Shea, America went into the final competition tied.
It would have required a Herculean effort — and a complete meltdown by Malinin — for anyone else to have a chance to beat Malinin. Japan’s Shun Sato, who has a personal best of 194.02, was the only other skater in the field Sunday with a personal best in the 190s. Malinin’s personal best is a record 238.24.
Malinin rolls out of bed and scores 200.
With gold basically in hand, this became about Malinin finding his groove. He said his short program Saturday was 50 percent of his potential. Sunday, he opened up the vault a bit more.
It’s a delicate balance with the men’s singles event still to come. Malinin will be back on the ice Tuesday for the men’s singles short program. The last thing he needs is to burnout before the big stage.
But Malinin didn’t need to give all he had. Just had to do enough to remind people he’s still him.