The ‘figure skating prodigy’ who unveiled a technique banned for 50 years this time landed five jumps, all quadruples (four rotations), and dramatically clinched gold for the United States. The biggest star in Milan right now is Ilia Malinin (22·United States).

On the second day of the figure skating team event at the Milan·Cortina d'Ampezzo Winter Olympics, held at the Milan Ice Skating Arena in Italy on the 9th, the United States and Japan were tied at 59-59 with only the men’s singles free skate remaining. The United States had finished the first day with a five-point lead, but Japan caught up through the first three events on day two. The color of the gold·silver medals would be determined by the results of Malinin and Shun Sato of Japan.

Malinin took the ice as the fourth skater in the free skate. He opened with a quadruple flip. The crowd roared. That was only the start. Five of his seven jumps were quadruples. After closing his quad content with a quadruple toe loop and a quadruple salchow, Malinin again did a backflip, as he had the day before.

Deemed too dangerous and banned after the 1976 Innsbruck Olympicsso that even attempting the ‘backflip’ incurred deductions through 2024Malinin showcased it in Milan on back-to-back days. Novak Djokovic, the tennis legend in the stands, sprang to his feet with a shout. So did other spectators. ESPN described the moment: “It effectively put a period on it.”

Malinin was below his usual standard on the day. Instead of the quadruple axel that only he has landed, he did a triple axel. After his second quadruple lutz, he touched a hand to the ice on the landing. He received a total of 200.03 points, nearly 40 short of his world record of 238.24. But it was enough.

Skating last, Shun Sato of Japan delivered a clean program that included three quadruple jumps and earned a personal best of 194.86. But he could not overtake Malinin. With Malinin in first place, 10 points were added to the team total, and the United States secured back-to-back Olympic team figure skating titles. The United States finished with 69 points, edging Japan by one.

With the gold medal around his neck, Malinin said, “I knew it was a tie. I also knew I would decide the outcome. ‘This is your moment. It is do or die,’ I told myself,” and added, “The energy and support of the entire team became the decisive force.”

Even after landing the backflip twice and taking team gold, the Olympics for Malinin is only beginning.

Malinin will skate the men’s short program on the 11th and the free skate on the 14th. Attention centers on whether he will attempt the quadruple axel that he did not try in the team event. It is a 4.5-rotation jump, a half turn more than a quadruple. In figure skating history, only Malinin has landed it without deductions.