MILAN, Italy — Ilia Malinin stepped onto the ice knowing figure skating’s Olympic team event hinged on him – and then delivered just enough to haul the United States past Japan and onto the top step of the podium at the Milano Cortina Games.

Italy, feeding off a roaring home crowd, claimed a hard-earned bronze.

The U.S. and Japan were deadlocked heading into the men’s free skate on Sunday night, leaving the 21-year-old double world champion shouldering the Americans’ golden hopes.

A day earlier, he had stumbled to a surprise second place in the short program.

“Being a tie, I was like, okay, I’m the deciding factor,” Malinin said. “I need to just do what I need to do, go out there, but also test the ice again, just to see how it feels, to really prepare myself for my individual event,” he said.

“But it really came down to the energy, the support, the passion for my whole team. Without them, I don’t think we would have gotten this medal.”

As the first skater ever to land seven quadruple jumps in a program, many at the Milano Ice Skating Arena anticipated a repeat performance on Sunday.

Instead, the self-named “Quad God” looked unusually mortal.

He landed four of his seven planned quad jumps cleanly. He turned two — including the quadruple Axel, a jump only he has ever landed in competition — into triples, and bobbled the landing on another in a program that looked, for a moment, as though it might unravel.

His 200.03 points were nearly 40 off his best, yet still untouchable for Japan’s Shun Sato, who scored 194.86.

His unique free program had the crowd roaring. Entitled “A Voice,” it features his own voice playing over the soundtrack, with philosophical lines such as “The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing” and “Embrace the storm.”

Fitting, considering Malinin, who has appeared so carefree throughout his meteoric career, said he underestimated the enormity of the Olympic stage.

“I didn’t really understand the impact of the Olympic environment,” he said. “I was kind of more in shock of really just being at the Olympics for the first time.

“So I really just told myself, okay, now you’ve experienced it for the very first time. So, now the long program, you can come in with a different mindset, a different energy.”

Malinin was also thrilled by the presence of tennis great Novak Djokovic, who leapt to his feet when the American unleashed his trademark backflip, an element that receives no marks but delights the fans.

“I did see Djokovic there, and it was, honestly, just so unreal,” Malinin said, with a wide grin. “I’ve heard from everyone that after I landed my back flip, he (was) standing there with his hands on his head.

“Like oh, my God. That’s incredible. That’s like a once-in-a-lifetime moment just seeing a famous tennis player watching my performance.”

The young skater has little time to rest, with the short program of the individual event on Tuesday, followed by the free skate on Friday.

–Reuters, special to Field Level Media

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