Ilia Malinin delivers in the men’s free skate as US hold off late Japanese push to retain Olympic team title. Host nation Italy finish third after three days

The Americans enter Day 3 of the figure skating team event at the Winter Olympics atop the leaderboard, but need clutch performances to secure gold.

Ilia Malinin delivers in the men’s free skate as US hold off late Japanese push to retain Olympic team title. Host nation Italy finish third after three days

21-year-old Ilia Malinin hit five quadruple jumps and scored 200.03 to push Japan's Shun Sato into second place with 194.86.

The team event gold medal came down to Ilia Malinin, and he put on a thrilling performance to secure the gold medal for Team USA.

A battle between the US and Japan was heating up in the Olympic figure skating team event. Ilia Malinin needed to change his plans to save the day.

Here's what to know about Ilia Malinin, the Team USA figure skater who has taken the 2026 Winter Olympics by storm, ahead of his men's short program.

The United States' Ilia Malinin delivered a near-perfect short program Tuesday night in Milano, putting the two-time world champion firmly atop the men's singles standings heading…