Ilia Malinin took the impossible to the next level! How he modified the procedure prohibited at the Winter Olympics

sunday night Ilia Malinin won the first Olympic gold in his career. He was instrumental in the success achieved by the United States of America in the team figure skating competition.

Two days later, skating fans were waiting for a new duel between Malinin and Yuma Kagiyama, the only one who seemed capable of challenging his supremacy. In the team short program, the Japanese had obtained a better score.

Ilia Malinin, another backflip that brings him closer to gold at the Winter Olympics

This was not the case in the individual competition. Malinin finished with 108.16 points. Again, the most appreciated moment was the one in which a backflip is performed. This time, he landed on both feet. In the team competition, he had done it on a single blade.

• The element was reintroduced into the regulation only in 2024, after a long period in which it was considered too risky for the integrity of the athletes.

Ilia Malinin chose the soundtrack of the video game “Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown” as the background for the exercise.

It is such an honor to be on such a stage for the first time at such a competition. It took me a while to realize what I was living. It's in moments like these that you show who you really are, when all eyes are on you. It's one thing to be considered the favorite, it's another to come and do your job. I don't want to consider that I have the gold secured. We have one more day of competition

– IIia Malinin

The second position in the short program went to the Japanese Yuma Kagiyama, with 103.07 points. He had a major mistake on landing, he touched the ice.

Only one skater has surpassed the 100 milestone, the French Adam Xiao Him Fa102.55 points.

What the top 10 looks like after the short program in the men's figure skating final

The free program, which will decide the medalists in the men's figure skating event in Milan-Cortina, will take place on the evening of February 13.

The scores obtained on Tuesday in the short program will be added to those obtained on Friday in the free program. This will result in the final ranking of the test.

Another silver for Yuma Kagiyama?

At the 2022 edition, the American was the Olympic champion Nathan Chen (26 years old). He managed a monstrous score in the short program, 113.97 points, a world record. The total score, after the free program, was 332.60 points. Although not officially retired from skating, Chen did not participate in Milano-Cortina.

The silver was obtained even by Yuma Kagiyama (310.05), the bronze went to another Japanese, Shoma Uno (293.00).