MILAN, Italy — “Quad God” Ilia Malinin vaulted the United States above Japan and to the top of the podium at the Milan Cortina Games on Sunday to cap a thrilling team competition that saw host Italy seize bronze.

With the U.S. and Japan tied going into the men’s free skate, the 21-year-old Malinin met the moment even though he wasn’t at his best to lead the U.S. to a second successive Olympic team title.

“I’m proud of myself,” Malinin told reporters.

“I’m proud of my team for all the work they’ve put into this event, without each other it wouldn’t have happened.”

Malinin had been expected to perform seven quads in his free skate but ended up attempting only five, and even those were not flawless as he stumbled out of his quad Lutz. He turned two planned quads – including the quad Axel – into triples.

But he salvaged his program with a huge quad toeloop followed up by a quad Salchow, both in combinations.

He also landed a backflip on one leg to the delight of a packed crowd, which included a large number of vocal Americans at the Milano Ice Skating Arena.

His score of 200.03 was almost 40 points less than his season’s best but still good enough to defeat Japan’s Shun Sato, who skated cleanly after Malinin but was unable to match his rival’s technical ability.

“Honestly, the moment has still not settled in yet. I still haven’t really figured out that I’m wearing a gold medal from the Olympics,” Malinin said.

“It’s honestly just such an unreal feeling. But overall, I’m just so excited. This brings me so much joy and energy, and of course, the confidence and the motivation leading up to my individual event.”

The U.S. finished with 69 points, one more than Japan, while Italy took bronze with 60 points. Malinin remains the runaway favorite to win gold in the individual event at his first Olympic Games.

The U.S. team included the veteran ice dancing duo Madison Chock and Evan Bates, the pair of Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea, and Alysa Liu.

Chock and Bates got the chance to savor the gold medal on the night unlike in Beijing 2022, where a failed drug test by a Russian skater changed the team results and the U.S. athletes did not receive their medals until more than two years later.

JAPAN FIGHT BACK

Japan came into the final day of the team competition trailing the U.S. by five points but their gold medal hopes were given new life with stunning performances from Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara in the pairs and Kaori Sakamoto in the women’s free skate — leaving them tied with the U.S heading into the final men’s free skate.

The Japanese pairs world champions opened with a triple twist lift and Miura was left punching the air in delight as the duo closed their program with Kihara lifting her above him into their final pose — a performance that earned them a season’s best 155.55 from the judges.

“We were trying to aim for about 145 or a little bit higher, and when we saw that it was 155, there was so much joy… we were overwhelmed with emotions,” a teary-eyed Miura told reporters following the rousing performance which left Japan trailing the U.S. by just two points with two segments to go.

Japan pulled into a tie with the U.S. when Sakamoto delivered a spellbinding performance that earned her top place in the women’s free skate with 148.62 points.

American Amber Glenn had to settle for third behind Sakamoto and Georgia’s Anastasiia Gubanova after she endured two botched landings at the start of her routine – a result which wiped out the United States’ lead heading into men’s free skate.

“I just physically didn’t feel great,” Glenn said.

“My legs were feeling heavy, I was tired. I just didn’t feel my best.”

U.S. hopes of defending their gold medal from Beijing then rested on the shoulders of Malinin, who made up for his disappointing short program on Saturday by winning the point America needed to top the podium.

Japan held their heads high after pushing the heavily favored U.S. team to the limit.

“Everybody has done a gold-medal performance,” Sakamoto, a three-time world champion, said.

“So it really doesn’t matter what color medal we get.”

ITALY SHINE

In the battle for bronze, Italy’s Matteo Rizzo delivered the performance of his life to keep his team ahead of Canada and Georgia after solid skates by Lara Naki Gutmann and the duo of Sara Conti and Niccolo Macii.

The Italian team shouted “bronze! bronze!” as Rizzo went through the final moments of his performance, drawing a huge roar from the crowd as he finished and knelt with his forehead on the ground, hiding his tears.

Rizzo smiled and slid on his knees over to his delirious teammates in his box when it was clear Italy would be taking home its first Olympic medal in figure skating since 2014.

“I have no words to describe the feeling of staying on the Olympic ice with the crowd cheering while you’re skating the best program of your life.

“I couldn’t hear the music anymore, I could just hear the screaming of the people, the screaming of my teammates.”

Paris Olympic tennis gold medalist Novak Djokovic, NBA Hall of Famer Pau Gasol, and eight-time Olympic medallist in short track American Apolo Ohno were among the notable names in attendance at the arena on the outskirts of Milan.

–Reuters, special to Field Level Media

MILAN, Italy — Sidney Crosby waited 12 years to be back at the Olympics but the Canada captain said on Sunday that he sometimes felt as though no time had passed, as he stepped onto the ice at the Milan Cortina Games for the first time.

Future Hall of Famer Crosby is in the minority as a returning Olympian in Milan Cortina, where the NHL is allowing its players to compete in the Games for the first time since 2014, casting a massive spotlight on the men’s tournament.

“There’s some days that it feels like 12 (years) and other days it feels like yesterday,” said Crosby, the architect of Canada’s “golden goal” in 2010, who also helped the team to the top of the podium in 2014.

“There’s been a lot of anticipation ever since we found out we were going back to the Olympics. … So it’s just great to be with the guys, get out there and get to work.”

Crosby and his teammates hopped off the plane and just hours later onto the ice for their first practice at Santagiulia Arena on Sunday, swamped by reporters with little time to waste ahead of Wednesday’s tournament kickoff.

Led by the Pittsburgh Penguins center Crosby, the Canadian team are favored after beating rivals United States in the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament last year.

Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid, another marquee name on the Canadians’ wildly accomplished roster, praised Crosby’s leadership as he prepared for a “surreal” Olympic debut.

“He’s been here and done that and played in the biggest moments and succeeded,” McDavid told reporters. “Just a calming presence … a guy that doesn’t get too high or too low.”

Canada begins its Olympic campaign with a Group A game against Czech Republic on Thursday.

–Reuters, special to Field Level Media

Winners of four of its last five games, Indiana is out for more as it hosts struggling Oregon on Monday night in Bloomington, Ind.

The Hoosiers (16-8, 7-6 Big Ten) are coming off a 78-77 overtime win over visiting Wisconsin in which guard Lamar Wilkerson scored his team’s final 10 points, including all six in OT. Wilkerson led the way with 25 points total.

Wilkerson’s 20.4 points per game leads Indiana in scoring this season. He and teammate Tucker DeVries (13.8 ppg) have guided the Hoosiers’ offensive surge.

Wilkerson is averaging 23.2 points per game in Big Ten play — most of anyone in the conference — and has scored at least 19 points in five straight games. He is second in the Big Ten in made 3-pointers per game, with 3.3 for all contests.

Indiana head coach Darian DeVries has a long history with his counterpart on Monday, Oregon head coach Dana Altman. DeVries was a graduate manager (1998-2001) and assistant coach for nine seasons (2001-10) on Altman’s Creighton staff.

“The guys have been doing a much better job of finding creases to get in there, finish at the rim, get fouled, and then get some kick-out threes,” Darian DeVries said of his team.

Oregon (8-15, 1-11) has lost nine straight games, though the Ducks took No. 12 Purdue down to the wire on the road on Saturday. The game marked the return of big man Nate Bittle from an injury that cost him five games, and Bittle finished with 23 points.

The Ducks are missing another top scorer, guard Jackson Shelstad, who may not return this season due to injury. But the 68-64 loss to Purdue showed there is still some life in the team, even though this season will be the worst in Altman’s tenure as head coach.

“We know where we’re at,” Altman said, per the Eugene (Ore.) Register-Guard. “We know the losing streak is there, but just talked to the guys, we’ve got to focus on getting better and someday it’ll happen for us.”

–Field Level Media