Sports
Ilia Malinin surges into lead with thrilling short program
Feb 10, 2026; Milan, Italy; Ilia Malinin of the United States of America competes in men’s singles short program during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Milano Ice Skating Arena. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images MILAN — American figure skater Ilia Malinin delivered his best performance of the Milan Cortina Games on Tuesday, landing two quadruple jumps and even throwing in a backflip in an electrifying men’s short program to take the lead.
Malinin posted 108.16 points, more than five clear of Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama (103.07), with France’s Adam Siao Him Fa third with 102.55.
Malinin, the heavy favorite for the men’s title, did not showcase his full repertoire in his two outings during the team event but still did enough to help the United States grab gold on Sunday.
He looked far closer to his peak on Tuesday, feeding off a loud contingent of American fans as he flaunted the technical arsenal that has helped draw new attention to the sport.
“I want to call it Olympic pressure,” he told reporters.
“Going out there the first time, hitting that Olympic ice and feeling the atmosphere. I didn’t expect it to be so much, and it took me a little while to understand what really happened, but now that I understand it, I took a different approach today,” he said.
“Really just take things nice and calm, nice and slow, just relaxed, and really just pushed the autopilot button and let it cruise.”
Kagiyama paid the price for a stumbled landing on his triple Axel, while Siao Him Fa produced a confident and clean skate to boost his hopes of making the podium on Friday.
“I was a bit frustrated with the triple Axel… my goal now is to perform a free skate that I’m happy with,” Kagiyama, who had upstaged Malinin with his short program in the team event, told reporters through a translator.
“I’m trying to… add more quadruple jumps and increase my offensive power… and hopefully the result will come along,” the 2022 Beiling Olympics silver medalist added.
Many present at the Milano Ice Skating Arena were buzzing in anticipation that Malinin would unleash a quadruple Axel — a four-and-a-half-rotation jump that only he has landed in competition — as it was published on his list of planned elements.
But he told reporters that he never intended to attempt the jump on Tuesday, saying he forgot to change the list ahead of time.
He opted instead for a quadruple flip, then scored heavily for a quadruple Lutz-triple toeloop combination.
He also threw cold water on the likelihood of performing a quad Axel in Friday’s free skate, saying he was prioritizing “health and safety.”
The Virginia native is one of the biggest attractions of the Winter Games and shouldering a heavy weight of expectation after winning 14 competitions in a row and going undefeated since November 2023.
The first-time Olympian looked more comfortable on Tuesday, raising his arms to soak in the roar of the crowd when he was introduced ahead of his program. He then threw some boxing punches towards the camera as he skated off the ice.
NAUMOV HONORS PARENTS
Earlier, Malinin’s teammate Maxim Naumov skated with a heavy heart in his Olympic debut, delivering an emotional performance a little over a year after his parents were killed in a plane crash near Washington, D.C.
“I felt like I was guided by them today,” Naumov, who held up a childhood photo of himself holding hands with his parents following his performance, told reporters.
“With every glide and step that I made on the ice, I couldn’t help but feel their support. They were guiding me from one element to another.
“At the end, I finished on my knees, and I didn’t know if I was going to cry, smile or laugh, and all I could do was look up and say, ‘Look what we just did.'”
Naumov scored 85.65 points and sits in 14th place.
In a lighter moment, fan favorite Tomas-Llorenc Guarino Sabate of Spain laid down his short program to music from the “Minions” film franchise while dressed as one of the animated characters in a yellow T-shirt and blue overalls.
Guarino Sabate earned global headlines when he was told shortly before the Games that he would not be allowed to use the music for copyright reasons, but Universal Studios eventually gave him the green light.
The six-time Spanish champion from Barcelona stumbled on his first jump, a triple Axel, but received encouragement from fans clapping along to the song.
Unfortunately, he narrowly failed to make the cut for Friday’s free skate after finishing 25th, one place below the qualifying cut-off.
–Reuters, special to Field Level Media
Sports
Rams OT Rob Havenstein retires after 11 seasons
November 9, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams offensive tackle Rob Havenstein (79) after the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images Los Angeles Rams offensive tackle Rob Havenstein announced his retirement from the NFL after 11 seasons on Tuesday.
Havenstein, who won Super Bowl LVI with the Rams in the 2021 season, started all 148 regular-season games and 13 playoff games he has played since 2015 — the last season the franchise was in St. Louis.
“What a ride it’s been!” Havenstein, 33, posted on Instagram. “I can look back on my career and smile knowing I have given everything I had and more to the game I love. In saying that, I am officially retiring from the NFL.”
He thanked his wife, parents, teammates, coaches, the team’s fans and the Rams organization.
“I have had the time of my life with the Los Angeles Rams (formerly known as the St. Louis Rams) and can’t thank the whole organization enough for giving me a shot back in 2015,” he wrote. “Although some in the organization weren’t totally convinced.”
Havenstein played in only seven regular-season games this season (seven starts) as he dealt with knee and ankle bursitis. He was placed on injured reserve on Nov. 19 and the Rams designated him to return to practice on Jan. 22 ahead of the NFC Championship game at Seattle on Jan. 25, but he didn’t play and the Seahawks won 31-27.
A member of the 2015 NFL All-Rookie Team, Havenstein was a foundational part of the offensive line at right tackle. He played on 100% of the offensive snaps in games he played across the 2017, 2018, 2020, 2022 and 2025 seasons, and at least 90% in the others.
The Rams also reached the league championship game in the 2018 season, falling to the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LIII, 13-3. Los Angeles beat the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20 three years later.
“As this chapter ends, I couldn’t be more grateful, hopeful, and excited to see what comes next!” Havenstein said.
–Field Level Media
Sports
LeBron James (foot) out; ineligible for awards, All-NBA honors
Feb 9, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) passes the ball against Oklahoma City Thunder guard Alex Caruso (9) during the third quarter at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images Los Angeles Lakers standout LeBron James will miss Tuesday’s game against the San Antonio Spurs due to left foot arthritis, an absence that makes him ineligible for All-NBA recognition and major awards this season.
The game is James’ 18th missed contest of the season and prevents him from playing in 65 games, the minimum number of games to be eligible for All-NBA and other honors. James has been named to an All-NBA team in a record 21 straight seasons.
James, 41, has played in 35 games this season and is averaging 21.8 points, 6.9 assists and 5.7 rebounds. He was second-team All-NBA last season. His most recent first-team All-NBA selection was the 2019-20 season.
Lakers star guard Luka Doncic (left hamstring) will sit out for the third straight game. He leads the NBA with a 32.8 scoring average.
Doncic remains hopeful of playing in Sunday’s All-Star Game.
Guards Austin Reaves (left calf) and Marcus Smart (right ankle) also were ruled out against San Antonio. Center Deandre Ayton (right knee) is questionable.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Tiger Woods' son, Charlie Woods, commits to Florida State
Charlie Woods of Jupiter, Fla. tees off on the eighth hole during the second round of The Junior Players Championship golf tournament at TPC Sawgrass, Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025, in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. Miles Russell of Jacksonville Beach, Fla. finished atop the leaderboard heading into Sunday’s final round at 6 under par. Charlie Woods, the son of 15-time major champion and golf legend Tiger Woods, announced Tuesday that he has committed to play for Florida State in 2027.
It is a major recruiting win for the Seminoles, who were among several prominent programs aggressively pursuing Charlie Woods. In November, Florida State golf coach Trey Jones spent time walking the course with Tiger as Charlie Woods shot a team-best 68 and helped his team claim the Florida 1A state title.
Charlie Woods, who turned 17 on Sunday, is currently a junior at The Benjamin School, a private school in Palm Beach, Fla. He will join an FSU recruiting class that already includes Jacksonville, Fla.’s Miles Russell, the top-ranked amateur in the world. Woods, who is No. 23 in the AJGA rankings, won the AJGA Team TaylorMade Invitational last May.
BREAKING: CHARLIE WOODS -> FSU
Posting on his Instagram account, Charlie Woods, the son of @TigerWoods, has committed to @FSUGolf.
https://t.co/MP6Qa2CPG3 pic.twitter.com/RhlxbwdJMg
— Warchant.com (@Warchant) February 10, 2026
Tiger Woods said in December that his son had been hearing for a number of college coaches, and that it was far different than his recruitment in the 1990s.
“It’s been very different, the recruiting process. Now you have cell phones,” Tiger said. “We didn’t have cell phones. We would have written letters that would show up in the mailbox. ‘Oh, my God, I got a letter.’ It’s just very different how fast coaches can communicate with the family members and the player that they’re trying to recruit. It’s just a different world. Not saying it’s good or bad. It’s just different.”
Tiger Woods played at Stanford, won his first collegiate event and was an All-American from 1996-98 before turning pro. His daughter, Sam, was a member of Benjamin School’s state-title soccer team before enrolling at Stanford.
–Field Level Media
Rams OT Rob Havenstein retires after 11 seasons
The DeLonghi La Specialista Maestro espresso machine is down to its best-ever price at Amazon — save $300
