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
Justin Thomas cleared to return following back surgery
Aug 23, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Justin Thomas plays his shot from the third tee during the third round of the TOUR Championship golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images Two-time major champion Justin Thomas announced Tuesday that he has been cleared for “all golf activity” as he progresses in his return from November back surgery.
“After some follow up imaging and meeting with my Dr and team, I’m officially cleared for all golf activity!,” he posted on Instagram. “It feels great to be swinging freely again and getting some reps in on the course. I’m working hard to build up my strength and stamina to get back into golf shape before competing on @pgatour. Can’t wait to get out there with the guys!”
Currently 12th in the Official World Golf Ranking, Thomas did not provide a target for his return to competition, although he said last month that he was eyeing the PGA Tour’s Florida swing. That begins with the Cognizant Classic, which takes place Feb. 26-March 1 about a half hour from Thomas’ home in Jupiter.
From there, the tour moves to the Arnold Palmer Invitational, a signature event in Orlando ahead of the The Players Championship from March 12-15 in Ponte Vedra Beach.
Thomas underwent a microdiscectomy, a procedure intended to alleviate a disc problem that had been causing hip pain.
Thomas, 32, is a 16-time PGA event champion, having won the PGA Championship in 2017 and 2022. He is coming off a strong 2025, capturing the RBC Heritage and finishing in the top 10 on eight occasions.
He reached as high as No. 4 and closed the year ranked fifth, but has slid to 12th with Thomas’ last event a solo 69th at the Procore Championship in September. He was then part of the losing United States Ryder Cup team at Bethpage Black in New York later that month.
–Field Level Media
Sports
No. 20 Clemson focused on 'daily work,' won't look past Virginia Tech
Feb 4, 2026; Stanford, California, USA; Clemson Tigers guard Ace Buckner (21) smiles after making a free-throw against the Stanford Cardinal during the second half at Maples Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-Imagn Images No. 20 Clemson is tied atop the Atlantic Coast Conference standings with No. 4 Duke ahead of their showdown this weekend, but first the Tigers have to get by visiting Virginia Tech on Wednesday night.
The story for Clemson (20-4, 10-1 ACC) has been defense. The Tigers are allowing just 64.1 points per game, 11th in the nation, and have won four in a row. The Tigers’ only ACC loss came to North Carolina State in overtime.
Clemson is coming off a West Coast swing where it knocked off Stanford by two last Wednesday and dominated Cal 77-55 on Saturday. Tigers coach Brad Brownell was asked after the win over the Golden Bears if his team has peaked.
“I don’t think we talk about it,” Brownell replied. “We talk about daily work, daily improvements and focusing on what we can control and our players, but we’re also trying to enjoy the experience. It’s a long, hard season. We want our guys to be energized. We know there is a long way to go in league play.”
Clemson put on a defensive master class, holding the Bears without a field goal for almost 13 minutes in the first half and building a 19-point halftime lead. Brownell called it one of his team’s best performances of the season.
“We don’t have a bunch of guys who are big-time scorers. We have guys that are good players and guys who have bought into their roles,” Brownell said. “There are guys on our team who could play more minutes, but they sacrifice that in order for us to play the best way we think to play, which is playing a lot of guys. It’s something we have been talking about and working on since June. I think we have grown as a team.”
Clemson has a balanced scoring attack with three players averaging in double figures: RJ Godfrey (11.9), Jestin Porter (10.5) and Carter Welling (10.1).
Clemson redshirt freshman Ace Buckner, the son of former Clemson star Greg Buckner, is coming off two strong performances off the bench for the Tigers with 11 points against Stanford and 13 against Cal.
“We’re not surprised,” Brownell said of Buckner. “He’s an extremely hard worker, he’s extremely competitive. He’s had big games on both ends of the floor. I think his maturity level is probably higher than most guys his age. It’s no surprise to our staff.”
Virginia Tech (16-8, 5-6) has lost three of its last four and struggled against NC State in an 82-73 road loss Saturday.
Amani Hansberry leads the Hokies at 15.2 points per game. Neoklis Avdalas, a freshman from Greece, is averaging 12.6 points.
Avdalas had 14 points against NC State and, according to veteran coach Mike Young, was a bright spot in the defeat.
“He was great, he looked a little more like himself. He was (2-for-3) from three, he struggled early,” Young said of a player shooting 29.1% from beyond the arc this year. “If we can get him going along with (Tobi) Lawal, he had 15 rebounds, 17 points. Those are good numbers. We had some positive things we can build on.”
Clemson has won four of the last five meetings.
–Field Level Media
Sports
ESPN takes over MLB.tv; in-market streaming available to 20 teams
Aug 24, 2024; Oakland, California, USA; The major league baseball logo is seen on signage near the player’s entrance to the field at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum before the game between the Oakland Athletics and the Milwaukee Brewers. Mandatory Credit: Robert Edwards-Imagn Images ESPN officially took control of Major League Baseball’s out-of-market streaming service, MLB.tv, on Tuesday in a key component of the two sides’ reworked media rights deal.
Additionally, the league made in-market streaming subscriptions available Tuesday for 20 of its 30 clubs via the MLB App.
In November, MLB finalized a short-term agreement for national media rights after ESPN opted out of its hefty package for “Sunday Night Baseball” and other baseball properties last summer. The new agreement introduced NBCUniversal and Netflix, but also struck a new agreement with ESPN which, among other things, gave the company rights to sell and distribute MLB.tv.
MLB.tv will be available for $149.99 for the season for those who don’t have ESPN Unlimited, the company’s new direct-to-consumer service, or $134.99 for ESPN Unlimited subscribers. For those who already had MLB.tv before the new agreements went into effect, their subscription will auto-renew at the previous price and ESPN Unlimited isn’t required.
Meanwhile, the precipitous decline of RSNs (regional sports networks) in recent years, most notably the upcoming closure of the company formerly known as Diamond Sports Group, left many clubs around the league without a long-term home for their in-market TV carriage.
Major League Baseball confirmed Tuesday it will produce local broadcasts for 14 clubs in 2026. Another six clubs still have an RSN with which MLB has formed distribution deals. The total will reach 21 in the near future, as MLB said Detroit Tigers games will have an in-market streaming subscription “available at a later date.”
Arizona Diamondbacks — Dbacks.TV
Athletics — Athletics.TV
Baltimore Orioles — MASN+
Cincinnati Reds — Reds.TV
Cleveland Guardians — CleGuardians.TV
Colorado Rockies — Rockies.TV
Kansas City Royals — Royals.TV
Los Angeles Angels — Angels.TV
Los Angeles Dodgers — SNLA+
Miami Marlins — Marlins.TV
Milwaukee Brewers — Brewers.TV
Minnesota Twins — Twins.TV
New York Mets — SNY
Philadelphia Phillies — Phillies.TV
St. Louis Cardinals — Cardinals.TV
San Diego Padres — Padres.TV
San Francisco Giants — Giants.TV
Seattle Mariners — Mariners.TV
Tampa Bay Rays — Rays.TV
Washington Nationals — Nationals.TV
–Field Level Media
Justin Thomas cleared to return following back surgery
No. 20 Clemson focused on 'daily work,' won't look past Virginia Tech
