Ilia Malinin, representing the United States, is presently leading the men’s figure skating short program qualification round with a score of 108.16 points.
The 21-year-old skater from Vienna, Virginia, nicknamed the “Quad God,” impressed the judges by performing to the music of Dies Irae from the video game The Lost Crown, executing a quadruple flip, quadruple lutz, and a backflip.
Yuma Kagiyama from Japan, the silver medalist at the Beijing 2022 Olympics, currently holds the second position in the short program with a score of 103.07 points.
Adam Siao Him Fa from France achieved a personal best score of 102.55 points, securing the third spot as the competition progresses towards the final free programs scheduled for Friday.
Ilia Malinin leads with 108.16 points, maintaining a significant advantage heading into the Olympic men’s free program on Friday.
This marks Malinin’s debut at the Olympic Games, where he previously won gold in the team event at the Milano Skating Arena on Sunday.
Reflecting on his performance, Malinin shared with CBC Sport’s Devin Heroux that he approached the short program for the team event with too much excitement, which affected his performance as Kagiyama outscored him.
Malinin expressed his adjustment in approach for the individual event, aiming for a more relaxed mindset and trusting his training, which ultimately paid off.