Olympic figure skating team event heads to final day with U.S.-Japan gold race

Olympic figure skating moves into a medal-deciding Sunday with the team event still wide open at the top. After two days of short programs and the ice dance free dance, the United States holds a slim lead over Japan, while Italy, Canada, and Georgia remain in striking distance for the remaining podium spots heading into three final segments on February 8, 2026.

The format makes every placement count: teams earn points by finishing position in each discipline, so a single clean skate—or a single fall—can swing the standings quickly.

What’s at stake on Sunday

Three free skates will decide the medals, and each of them is worth a full set of placement points. That creates two parallel fights: the one-point battle for gold between the United States and Japan, and the tighter scramble behind them for bronze.

Sunday’s remaining segments (all times ET):

• Pairs free skate: 1:30 p.m.

• Women’s free skate: 2:45 p.m.

• Men’s free skate: 3:55 p.m.

Figure skating team event standings

With the field trimmed to five teams after Saturday’s skating, these are the teams still alive for medals going into Sunday:

The gap between third and fifth is only five points, meaning a strong finish in one discipline can reshape the bronze race even if the top two stay steady.

Chock and Bates deliver a season-best in dance

Madison Chock and Evan Bates have been the United States’ most reliable point engine so far, highlighted by a season-best 133.23 in the free dance. In a team event built on placement points, that kind of performance does more than add to the total—it forces rivals to chase higher-risk layouts and cleaner execution in the remaining segments.

Their result also carries momentum into the individual ice dance competition, where early-week rhythm dance and midweek free dance will decide medals. Strong team-event skates can sharpen timing and calm nerves before the higher-stakes individual rounds begin.

Men’s short program: Kagiyama leads, Malinin holds key points

Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama won the men’s short program with 108.67, setting a high technical standard and taking maximum team points in the segment. Ilia Malinin placed second for the United States with 98.00 after an imperfect skate that included visible errors, but his placement still secured critical points that kept the U.S. in front overall.

The men’s free skate Sunday afternoon becomes a potential pivot point. If Japan wins the segment again and the United States drops further than second, the one-point gold race can tighten dramatically. If the U.S. closes the gap in placements, it can protect its lead even without “winning” every remaining discipline.

Daniel Grassl steadies Italy’s podium bid

Italy’s Daniel Grassl placed fifth in the men’s short program at 87.54, a result that kept the host nation firmly in the medal hunt. Italy enters Sunday in third, but Canada is close enough to apply real pressure, and Georgia remains within range if the top teams stumble.

For Italy, Sunday is about stacking solid placements across the board and avoiding the kind of major mistake that turns a top-five finish into the bottom of the segment. For Grassl, the team-event skate also serves as a pressure test ahead of the men’s individual competition, where consistency across high-difficulty jump layouts will decide whether he can climb into contention.

What to watch in the final three segments

Two things tend to decide team events: clean landings and clean nerves. The free skates carry higher base value, but the scoring system ultimately cares about rank, not raw totals—so the most important question in each segment is “who finishes ahead of whom?”

A practical way to follow Sunday:

• Watch for early mistakes that force a team into “catch-up” mode.

• Track placements as they happen; the standings can shift after each free skate.

• Expect the final picture to remain unsettled until the men’s free skate ends around late afternoon ET.

By Sunday evening, the team medals will be settled—and the individual figure skating events will begin with a clearer sense of who has momentum, and who has pressure, in Milan.

Sources consulted: Reuters, International Skating Union, Olympics, NBC Olympics