The tension was palpable at the Milano Ice Skating Arena on February 8, 2026, as the world watched the U.S. and Japan battle for supremacy in the Olympic figure skating team event. In a night that saw nerves, drama, and a flurry of quadruple jumps, Team USA defended its gold medal in spectacular fashion—thanks in no small part to Ilia Malinin, the 21-year-old sensation dubbed the "Quad God."
Malinin’s performance in the men’s free skate was nothing short of electrifying. With the team event deadlocked at 59 points apiece going into the final segment, the pressure fell squarely on Malinin’s shoulders. The two-time World champion didn’t flinch. He delivered a program packed with five quadruple jumps, earning a score of 200.03 points and edging out his Japanese rival, Shun Sato, who posted an impressive 194.86 with three quads of his own.
"Going into the men's free skate, I knew that it was tied. I knew that I was the deciding factor," Malinin told reporters, gold medal gleaming around his neck. "I told myself, 'This is your moment. It's do-or-die.' I just let the nerves go and tried to have fun. Without each other, we wouldn't have been able to do this. It came down to the energy and support of this entire team."
The U.S. ultimately finished with 69 points, just one ahead of Japan’s 68, while Italy clinched the bronze with 60 points. Georgia, still chasing its first Winter Games medal, finished fourth with 56. The razor-thin margin between the Americans and Japanese underscored the high stakes and unrelenting pressure of the night.
Malinin’s free skate was a rollercoaster. He opened with a crisp quadruple flip, but opted for a safer triple axel over his famed quad axel—a calculated choice given the circumstances. There were a couple of hiccups mid-program, including a tripled loop and a hand down on a quad lutz, but Malinin powered through. His closing sequences—a quad toe-triple flip and a quad salchow-triple axel—were met with a deafening roar from the crowd, a mix of American and Japanese fans on the edge of their seats.
But the night wasn’t decided until Sato took the ice. The Japanese star, skating last, delivered what many called the program of his life. From his opening quad lutz to his finishing triple lutz, Sato was nearly flawless, pumping his fist as his music ended. He later admitted, "Being honest, I was clinging on to hope that I could outscore Ilia … but he’s a skater on a whole other level, so I just wanted to get as close as I could to him. For us to win, I had to win and I did consider adding quads before the skate, but I opted to go with my usual program and what got me here. I’m not going to lie, but I thought I skated as well as I possibly could. And I’m grateful to my teammates for putting me in the position I am.”
Earlier in the evening, the pairs free skate set the stage for the dramatic finish. World champions Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara of Japan delivered a career-best performance with 155.55 points, narrowing the American lead. For Team USA, Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea delivered their best-ever free skate, earning 135.36 points. Their program, set to a medley of "Sweet Dreams," "Eleanor Rigby," and "Everybody Wants to Rule the World," was both technically strong and emotionally resonant. O’Shea, making his Olympic debut at age 34, said, “We couldn’t be more proud to be able to perform under what we felt was so much energy. We walked into the day, walked into the rink with positive emotions, with an offensive attitude, and that showed out there on the ice.”
The women’s free skate added another layer of intrigue. With world champion Alysa Liu sitting out, Amber Glenn stepped in for Team USA. Glenn, at 26, became the oldest U.S. women’s singles skater at the Olympics in 98 years and the first out LGBTQ woman to skate at the Games. Despite a shaky landing on her hallmark triple axel and a few other errors, Glenn finished third in the segment with 138.62 points, contributing eight crucial points to the team tally. Afterward, she told NBC, "I just felt really not my best today and I'm just really disappointed in that," but also expressed pride in her resilience, saying she was "very proud of the fight." Glenn was the only female skater to attempt the triple axel in the event.
Japan’s Kaori Sakamoto, skating in her final season before retirement, had a flawless routine and won the women’s free skate with 148.62 points. Her performance helped pull Japan into a tie with the U.S. going into the decisive men’s free skate. Sakamoto, Glenn, and other top competitors will face off again in the individual events later this month, promising more fireworks on Olympic ice.
In the ice dance segment, three-time world champions Madison Chock and Evan Bates continued their reign, delivering a winning free dance for Team USA. The duo, competing in their fourth consecutive Winter Olympics, are now favorites for individual gold as well. Their poise and artistry kept the team’s momentum alive at a critical juncture in the competition.
Italy’s Matteo Rizzo also provided a highlight for the host nation. His free skate to an "Interstellar" and "Miserere" medley earned a standing ovation and secured Italy’s first-ever team event medal in Olympic figure skating. Rizzo, overcome with emotion, slid on his knees across the ice toward his jubilant teammates, soaking in the moment. “I think we were all under pressure because that's what team events are all about; I was just the last segment where there was no other chance after that," Rizzo reflected. "It was great and the team gave me a lot of energy and we did it."
As the dust settled, Team USA’s narrow victory underscored the depth and resilience of its roster. From Malinin’s technical fireworks to Glenn’s gutsy debut and the steady excellence of Chock and Bates, every skater played a part in defending Olympic gold. The Americans are now the first team to repeat as champions in the event, which debuted at Sochi 2014—a testament to their sustained excellence and ability to deliver under pressure.
With individual events on the horizon, the world’s eyes remain fixed on Milan, where these athletes will chase more Olympic glory in the days to come.