US Figure Skating Team Wins Gold

Ilia Malinin’s stellar performance in the free skate sealed the deal for the US figure skating team, securing their gold medal at the Milan Cortina Olympics. The 21-year-old, nicknamed the ‘Quad God’, landed five quadruple jumps, scoring 200.03 points and making up for his lackluster short program the night before. His Japanese rival, Shun Sato, put up a good fight with three quads, but it wasn’t enough, earning him 194.86 points and a silver medal for Japan.

A Night of High Stakes

The US and Japan were neck and neck going into the final session, with the US holding a slim lead. But when world champions Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara won the pairs free skate, and Kaori Sakamoto took the women’s free skate, Japan tied the US for the top spot. That’s when Malinin stepped up, nailing his jumps and finishing with a flourish. His performance was enough to break the deadlock, giving the US the gold with 69 points, while Japan took silver with 68.

US Pairs Team Delivers

Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea also played a crucial role, delivering the best free skate of their career and scoring 135.36 points. They may not have won the segment, but they held off the Canadians and prevented Japan from gaining more ground. It was a night of high stakes, but in the end, the US team came out on top, thanks in large part to Malinin’s incredible skill and composure under pressure.