How Team USA held off Japan to win gold

Ilia Malinin of the United States competes in the men’s singles free skate in the figure skating team event at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, on Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026. (Vincent Alban/The New York Times)

By VICTOR MATHER and VINCENT ALBAN

The American figure skaters came into these Olympic 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.

With 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:

First up 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.

The 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.

So 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 in the preliminary phase, in which he was defeated by Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama. Terrifyingly, Malinin called that fine effort “50% of my full potential.”

But 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.

The team gold belonged to the United States. And with Malinin still holding back his greatest move, more will be expected.