Many questions, few answers for Malinin in Milan

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Many questions, few answers for Malinin in Milan

Ilia Malinin smiled broadly as he slapped hands with his father/coach, Roman Skorniakov, on the boards at the Milano Olympic Ice Center.

That was just before he skated to the center of the ice to begin his free skate Friday in the men’s singles event at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

No wonder he smiled. Malinin had a five-point lead over Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama after the short program. And his path toward an Olympic gold medal was seemingly clear of any obstacles after Kagiyama, skating before Malinin, made mistakes big and small on three of his first five jumping passes.

Malinin figured to be smiling even more broadly soon.

But when Malinin finished his four-minute free, he first masked his reaction by covering his face with his gloved hands.

He shook his head, lowered his eyes, shook his head again as he skated off the ice toward his father. Still out of breath, his mouth was open in a narrow rectangle. He shook his head one last time, each shake signaling that Malinin’s incomprehension was complete, just as it was for everybody who had watched him come undone.

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U.S. Figure Skating will ask ISU to review system that led to ice dance judging controversy

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U.S. Figure Skating will ask ISU to review system that led to ice dance judging controversy

U.S. Figure Skating intends to send a letter to the International Skating Union for a review of the judging system that essentially allowed one judge to determine the outcome of the 2026 Olympic ice dance competition, a person familiar with the situation told me Friday.

The result was a narrow victory (1.43 points) for French couple Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron over U.S. team Madison Chock and Evan Bates.

“We don’t expect a reversal,” the person said.  “We are doing this in support of our athletes.”

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Madison Chock, Evan Bates 'wouldn't change anything' after ice dance silver

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Madison Chock, Evan Bates 'wouldn't change anything' after ice dance silver

They had occupied the ice dance penthouse for so much of the past four seasons, including the last three World Championships, that Madison Chock and Evan Bates might as well have been declared owners of the place.

Yet when they were ready to throw a housewarming celebration in front of the world, Chock and Bates were evicted by a couple of new kids on the block, French team Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron, whom they know as friends and train with at the same rink in Montreal.

So, the apparent end of the U.S. ice dancers’ stellar career did not include the individual Olympic gold medal that had been their goal since deciding they would try for a fourth Winter Games as competitive partners and a first as husband and wife.

Chock and Bates claimed silver after Wednesday’s free dance, adding an individual medal to the golds they won in the team event at both this Olympics and the last. They were a frustrated fourth in the 2022 ice dance event.

“It’s definitely a little bittersweet, because we are so, so happy with how we performed this week,” Chock said, her voice cracking as she continued the thought.

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With all eyes on him, Ilia Malinin masters performing under pressure

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With all eyes on him, Ilia Malinin masters performing under pressure

Athletes for whom an Olympic gold medal is the highest achievement in their sport often try to whistle past the graveyard by saying they intend to treat the Games as just another competition.

Those who are favored to win a gold medal usually double down on that mantra.

Figure skater Ilia Malinin, who came to the 2026 Winter Olympics as the overwhelming favorite to win the men’s singles gold, found out the another-day-at-the-office approach stopped working once he got into the atmosphere of the five-ring circus for the first time.

“I didn’t expect it to be that much,” he said.

And that showed in his unremarkable two performances in the team event, when he skated less impressively than expected but well enough to help his teammates win gold by one point over Japan. He was second in the short program and a shaky first in the free skate, when he needed a win to keep Team USA atop the podium Sunday.

Lesson learned, as was evident in Tuesday’s individual short program, which Malinin soared to victory at the Milan Ice Skating Arena on the strength of the huge quadruple jumps that are what separate him from every other skater in the world.

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French team defying timelines for ice dance success

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French team defying timelines for ice dance success

It’s not supposed to happen this way in ice dance, having two skaters who teamed up less than a year ago leading the Olympics after the rhythm dance.

After all, the last three Olympic champions all had skated together seemingly forever, beginning when they were children: 18 years for 2022 gold medalists Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron of France; 21 years for 2018 winners Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir of Canada; 17 years for 2014 winners Meryl Davis and Charlie White of the United States.

"Longevity is incredibly important because of how complex both the training relationship and competitive relationship is, especially in ice dance, since the elements are so nuanced, and there’s so much relying on the performance and emotional chemistry," Ben Agosto, 2006 Olympic silver medalist with Tanith (Belbin) White, told me when Papadakis and Cizeron won.

And yet here we are, with Cizeron and his new partner, freshly minted French citizen Laurence Fournier Beaudry, beating three-time reigning world champions Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the United States by two whiskers in Monday’s opening phase of the 2026 ice dance event. It concludes with the free dance Wednesday.

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