The “Quad God” is also pretty good at backflips. U.S. figure skating star Ilia Malinin — who dubbed himself “Quad God” for his ability to land the quadruple axel — made his debut at at the 2026 Milan Cortina Games on Saturday and became the first Olympic skater in 50 years to legally complete a backflip in competition. But even gods can finish in second place. He was upset in the men’s short program of the team event after scoring a 98.00 to finish behind Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama, the reigning Olympic silver medallist who scored a 108.67. Malinin, the two-time and reigning world champion, had won his previous 14 events dating back to 2023. lia Malinin earns a score of 98.00 to put him in second place in the men’s short program for Team USA at the #WinterOlympics! pic.twitter.com/QqkSmEB6Bw— NBC Olympics Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) February 7, 2026 “I mean, I wasn’t expecting go out here and win the competition,” he told reporters after the event. “That was not my goal here for the team event. My team event was to focus on myself and how I feel overall. I’m pretty happy with what I did, because that’s only 50% of my full potential here. So overall, really proud of everything that I’ve done so far.” The 21-year-old from Virginia entered his first Games as an overwhelming gold-medal favorite in the men’s singles competition, which begins next week. He did not attempt a quadruple axel during his short program in the team event, but he became the first skater since 1998 to perform a backflip at the Games and the first to do so legally since 1976. The move had been outlawed in international competition until it was re-legalized in 2024, according to NBC News. He had a shaky landing on the triple axel, scoring a 7.66 on the jump, well behind Kagiyama’s score of 11.31 “I mean, what do you expect? It’s Olympic ice,” Malinin said. “I mean, I’m sure a lot of people would feel that. I’m excited to be here. It’s just, come on. It’s the Olympics! You guys are talking like, this is a bad thing. Like, it’s just so awesome to be here. And I’m so glad to be a part of not only my team, but also just part of a lot of the athletes who get the opportunity to come compete here. It’s honestly a life achievement.” The U.S., which won the team event at the 2022 Beijing Games, closed the day holding a lead in the team event with 44 total points, with Malinin’s performance earning the team nine points. Japan is second with 39 and Italy is third with 37. The team event concludes Sunday with the pairs, women’s and men’s free skates — with the U.S. deciding late Saturday to have Malinin compete in the final stage of the team event for a chance to secure his first Olympic medal. He’ll skate fourth, with Japan’s Shun Sato scheduled to close the event. Malinin, of course, will also get a second chance in the short program during the men’s individual competition, which begins Feb. 10. He is the only skater to successfully complete a quadruple axel in competition, and submitted the jump ahead of competition in his planned elements, per Olympics.com. If he completes his signature move during the 2026 Games, he will become the first skater to compete the quad at the Olympics. He remains the favorite in the event, but his path to the top of the podium might not be as easy as some expected. “It’s a lot of pressure, and it’s honestly something that I’ve expected to do coming to these Olympics,” Malinin said of being the favorite. “But overall, just looking at it, I just need to pace myself correctly, put myself in the right mindset not to think about that pressure and really just come out here and do what I need to do.” ...read more read less