Ilia Malinin leads men’s short program as 2026 Olympic figure skating intensifies

Ilia Malinin’s push for individual gold at the 2026 Winter Olympics hit a new gear on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026, when the American nicknamed the “Quad God” powered to the top of the men’s short program with 108.16 points. The result sharpened the medal picture ahead of the men’s free skate on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, while keeping the wider figure skating conversation focused on difficulty, risk management, and the sport’s newly reopened door to backflips.

Men’s short program: standings at the top

Malinin’s short program combined high base value with clean execution, including multiple quads and a triple Axel, and he also flashed his now-signature backflip in the closing moments. Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama stayed in striking distance despite a visible mistake on his triple Axel, and France’s Adam Siao Him Fa remained close after a clean skate that kept him firmly in medal range.

Men’s short program leaders (after Feb. 10, 2026)

With margins this tight behind first, the free skate becomes a question of layout choices: how many quads to attempt, where to place them, and whether to protect a medal position or chase the top step.

Who Ilia Malinin is: age, height, parents, and “Quad God”

Malinin is 21 years old (born Dec. 2, 2004), from Fairfax, Virginia, and listed at 174 cm (about 5 feet 9 inches). A defining part of his story is that his parents are also elite skaters: Tatiana Malinina and Roman Skorniakov, both former Olympians. They have been central to his development and, over time, have coached him through the technical arms race that now shapes men’s figure skating.

Away from the rink, Malinin has been associated with George Mason University, reflecting the balancing act many top athletes manage during Olympic cycles—training loads, travel, and coursework all competing for the same hours.

The “Quad God” label is tied to his reputation for unprecedented jump content, including being the skater most closely linked in the public mind to the quadruple Axel era. What stood out after the Olympic short program, though, was restraint: his camp’s message has emphasized consistency and safety rather than forcing the biggest possible element if conditions don’t feel right.

When does Malinin skate again?

The next key moment is the men’s free skate on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026 (ET date). That program is expected to decide the medals, and it will likely come down to who lands quads cleanly under pressure—especially late in the program, where fatigue turns “planned content” into survival skating.

For rivals, the path is clear:

• Kagiyama needs a cleaner Axel and a fully rotated quad plan to erase the gap.

• Siao Him Fa must keep the technical base high enough to match the leaders while staying clean.

• Skaters such as Shun Sato remain dangerous if they rebound with a high-scoring free skate, even after short-program errors.

Team event snapshot: Team USA depth in focus

Before the men’s singles short program took center stage, the figure skating team event set the tone for the U.S. delegation. The early team-event entries highlighted breadth across disciplines, including the ice dance strength of Madison Chock and Evan Bates and pairs contributions from Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea. That depth matters at an Olympics because it forces strategic decisions: which skater goes in which segment, and how to preserve energy for individual events while maximizing team points.

Backflips, Surya Bonaly, and what’s changed

Malinin’s backflip is also a cultural flashpoint. The move carries a history: Surya Bonaly became famous for her backflip in the 1990s, when it was treated as a boundary-pushing moment rather than a scoring tool. Today’s difference is structural. With the sport’s rules updated in the mid-2020s to allow backflips again under defined conditions, the element has shifted from rebellion to calculated flourish—less about shock value and more about packaging, crowd response, and program identity.

That still leaves a question heading into 2026 and beyond: will more skaters add the backflip, or will it remain a signature move used sparingly by athletes who can afford the risk?

How to track schedule and results through the final weekend

With multiple events running in parallel—men’s short program, men’s free skate, the team event, and continued action across ice dance and pairs—the cleanest way to follow “schedule and results” is to watch for official start lists and segment results posted each day, then compare them to world standings and season-best trends. In men’s figure skating, those standings have consistently placed Malinin, Kagiyama, and Siao Him Fa among the sport’s most reliable top-end scorers in the lead-up to Milan.

Sources consulted: International Skating Union; Olympics; Associated Press; Reuters