Ilia Malinin Backflips to Olympic Gold in Milan

When everything came down to one performance, Ilia Malinin didn't just deliver. He made history fly.

The 21-year-old figure skater from Fairfax, Virginia, secured Team USA's gold medal in the figure skating team event Sunday night in Milan, edging Japan 69-68 in a finish so close that the arena fell silent waiting for the final score. When Japan's Shun Sato's numbers flashed just short, seven American teammates erupted in hugs mere feet from the ice.

Malinin's winning routine wasn't flawless. He stumbled early, gasping the crowd as both hands hit the ice to steady himself.

But then he did something only he has ever done at the Olympics. He threw a backflip at center ice, his second in as many nights, sending the Milan crowd into screams.

The pressure couldn't have been higher. After two days and 11 skaters across four disciplines, the U.S. and Japan entered the final event tied at 59 points each.

Malinin bounded onto the ice pumping his fist, unzipping his Team USA jacket to reveal a sparkly black top. If nerves existed, they didn't show.

His score of 200.03 put him more than 20 points clear of second place. Japan needed Sato to beat that mark for gold.

Sato scored 194.86. The margin of victory? One single point in the overall team standings.

Why This Inspires

Malinin skated with the weight of legacy on his shoulders. His parents competed at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, and at just 21, he's already a world champion who performs tricks no other male skater in history has accomplished.

But Sunday wasn't about individual glory. Teammate Amber Glenn, the three-time reigning U.S. champion, had placed third in her event and worried she'd cost the team the lead.

Instead, Malinin's performance proved what teamwork really means. Madison Chock and Evan Bates competed in both dance events; Ellie Kam and Danny O'Shea handled pairs skating across both days; Alysa Liu and Glenn split the women's singles duties.

Each skater showed up. Each one mattered. And when it came down to one final routine, Malinin turned pressure into poetry.

This marks Team USA's second consecutive Olympic gold in the figure skating team event and the first medal awarded in figure skating at the 2026 Games. Italy took bronze with 60 points, rounding out a podium separated by just nine points from top to bottom.

For Malinin, it's his first Olympic medal, earned not just with technical brilliance but with the kind of showmanship that reminds us why we fall in love with sports in the first place.