Ilia Malinin surges into lead with thrilling short program

MILAN — Ilia Malinin, the 19-year-old American prodigy, seized control of the men’s competition at the Milano Ice Skating Arena on Tuesday night, authoring a short program that crackled with both athletic daring and newfound composure. Two quadruple jumps— a flip and a Lutz-toe loop combination— plus a cheeky backflip propelled him to 108.16 points and a five-point cushion over Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama (103.07). France’s Adam Siao Him Fa sits third on 102.55, setting up a tantalizing free-skate showdown on Friday.

The performance was a stark contrast to Malinin’s subdued skates in last weekend’s team event, where the United States still captured gold. On Tuesday he appeared to skate with the volume turned up, feeding off a boisterous American section that waved flags and chanted his name.

“I want to call it Olympic pressure,” Malinin said afterward. “The first time I stepped on Olympic ice the atmosphere swallowed me. Tonight I hit the autopilot button and let it cruise.”

Expectation had swirled all afternoon that Malinin might attempt his signature quadruple Axel— a jump only he has landed in sanctioned competition— after it appeared on the official element sheet. He never did, later admitting he simply forgot to amend the paperwork and is prioritizing “health and safety” with an eye on Friday.

Kagiyama, who outscored Malinin in the team event short program, was left to rue a stepped-out triple Axel. “I was a bit frustrated,” the Beijing 2022 silver medalist said through a translator. “My goal now is a free skate I can be proud of.”

Siao Him Fa delivered a clean, confident skate that keeps him well within striking distance of his first Olympic individual medal.

Earlier, American teammate Maxim Naumov skated his Olympic debut through tears, dedicating the program to his parents who died in a 2023 plane crash near Washington, D.C. “I felt them guiding me from element to element,” Naumov said, clutching a childhood photo at the boards.

In the event’s most colorful moment, Spain’s Tomas-Llorenc Guarino Sabate performed as a Minion to music from the animated franchise. Despite crowd-wide clapping, a botched triple Axel left him 25th, one spot shy of the free-skate cut.

With the top three separated by fewer than six points, Friday’s free skate promises high drama and, perhaps, the quad Axel the world keeps waiting to see.