02/07/26 02:55:00
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02/07 14:54 CST Malinin stunned by Kagiyama in short program as Japan narrows
gap on US in Olympic figure skating
Malinin stunned by Kagiyama in short program as Japan narrows gap on US in
Olympic figure skating
By DAVE SKRETTA
AP Sports Writer
MILAN (AP) --- Ilia Malinin's quest for Olympic figure skating gold might not
be so easy after all.
Same goes for his American team.
Yuma Kagiyama landed a pair of near-perfect quads, one in combination with a
triple toe loop, and the Japanese star scored 108.67 points for his short
program Saturday night. That topped Malinin in the segment --- he was second
with 98.00 --- and gave his team 33 points, just one behind the defending
champion U.S. at the midway juncture of the three-day competition.
"I just felt excited to be here. Come on, this is the Olympics. You're talking
like this is a bad thing," said Malinin, the two-time reigning world champion
who is unbeaten in his last 14 completed competitions stretching back more than
two years.
"It's just so awesome to be here and be a part of this team," Malinin said.
"It's honestly a life achievement."
Italy was third in the team event with 28 points, Canada fourth with 27 and
Georgia fifth with 25.
Only the top five advanced after the short program, and the Canadians squeaked
through thanks to Stephen Gogolev's personal-best 92.99 score. Kevin Aymoz was
unable to match him for France, leaving his team one point below the cut line.
The second half of the team event began later Saturday night with the free
dance, where world champions Madison Chock and Evan Bates were back for the
U.S. They won the rhythm dance on Friday, hours before the opening ceremony,
giving the Americans the max of 10 points and plenty of momentum to begin the
multi-discipline event.
Now, it's the Japanese with the momentum.
"I didn't feel the pressure and I didn't feel nervous today," Kagiyama said.
"I'm very happy our score is so close to the USA."
Before making his Olympic debut, Malinin had stalked through the tunnels inside
Milano Ice Skating Arena, wearing a black tank top that read "Quad God," the
nickname reflective of the way he performs those other-worldly four-revolution
jumps.
The 21-year-old wunderkind did not attempt the quad axel --- the 4
1/2-revolution jump only he has ever landed in competition --- but did a shaky
version of the triple instead. He had started with a brilliant opening quad
flip and finished his program with a quad lutz-triple toe loop, getting bonus
points for the combination because it came in the second half of the program.
But when his score was read, Malinin seemed almost stunned that Kagiyama had
beaten him --- and by the margin.
"That's only 50% of my full potential here," Malinin said.
Kagiyama opened with a quad toe-triple toe combination, landed a quad salchow
and finished his short program with a peerless triple axel. And unlike Malinin,
when Kagiyama's score was read he jumped out of his seat with clenched fists
raised high.
"I always receive good motivation from Ilia because he is one of the skaters
who created this figure skating moment," Kagiyama said. "He's a good jumper,
and he can do quads, so I always think that I want to catch him."
The Americans have been on a mission ever since the 2022 Beijing Games, where
their Olympic triumph was overshadowed by a Russian doping controversy. The
ensuing investigation held their gold medals in limbo for more than two years,
until Chock and Bates were part of the squad that finally received them in a
ceremony during the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
Japan has long been considered their biggest rivals. And they have lived up to
those expectations, getting short programs by Kaori Sakamoto and pairs world
champions Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara to go with Kagiyama's triumph Saturday
night.
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AP Olympic coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
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