MILAN — The Olympic figure skating landscape witnessed a dramatic shift as Japanese sensation Yuma Kagiyama delivered a stunning performance that disrupted Ilia Malinin’s seemingly unstoppable march toward gold. During Saturday night’s team event short program at the Milano Ice Skating Arena, Kagiyama executed a technically masterful routine featuring two near-flawless quadruple jumps, including a sophisticated quad toe-triple toe combination, to secure 108.67 points.
This exceptional performance placed Kagiyama ahead of the heavily favored American skater Ilia Malinin, the two-time reigning world champion who had remained undefeated in his previous 14 completed competitions spanning over two years. Malinin’s second-place finish with 98.00 points created an intensely close team standings battle, with Japan trailing the defending champion United States by a single point (33-32) at the competition’s midway mark.
Malinin, who had entered the arena wearing his signature “Quad God” tank top, appeared momentarily stunned by the scoring outcome but maintained an optimistic perspective. “That’s only 50% of my full potential here,” remarked the 21-year-old skating phenomenon, who notably opted not to attempt his groundbreaking quad axel—a jump only he has successfully landed in competition.
The team event elimination phase saw Italy securing third position with 28 points, followed by Canada (27 points) and Georgia (25 points). Canada narrowly advanced to the next round thanks to Stephen Gogolev’s personal-best performance of 92.99 points, which edged out France by a single point.
The competition’s momentum now clearly favors Japan, with Kagiyama expressing his satisfaction: “I didn’t feel the pressure and I didn’t feel nervous today. I’m very happy our score is so close to the USA.” The Japanese team’s strong showing included additional impressive short programs from Kaori Sakamoto and pairs world champions Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara.
As the second half of the team event commenced with the free dance, the American team remained determined to defend their title, particularly motivated by their prolonged wait for official recognition of their 2022 Beijing Olympic victory due to the Russian doping controversy. World champions Madison Chock and Evan Bates, who had previously won the rhythm dance segment, returned to the ice seeking to maintain the United States’ narrow advantage in this high-stakes Olympic confrontation.