American superstar and 2026 Olympic men's gold medal favorite Ilia Malinin peforms a backflip in his short program.

Did Nathan Chen retire? Why U.S. figure skating star isn't competing with Ilia Malinin at 2026 Olympics originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here. Nathan Chen is an all-time great figure skater.

American Ilia Malinin performed a near-perfect short program filled with high-flying jumps and a jaw-dropping backflip to take a big lead in men's figure skating at the Milan Cortina Olympics.

The ice dance competition began Monday at the Winter Olympics with the rhythm dance. Madison Chock and Evan Bates finished in second place.

After suffering a head injury in the lead-up to the Winter Olympics, a figure skating world champion has been cleared to compete.

But for Team USA men’s figure skater Ilia Malinin, the explanation comes in the air. Malinin has already secured a gold medal at the 2026 Winter Olympics, as he was part of the Team USA squad that captured gold in the team event.

The Newton, Mass. native will commemorate the Winter Olympics by returning to Milan and Cortina, where she claimed her historic gold medal.

Olympic figure skating announcers: Meet NBC's 2026 commentators, from Terry Gannon to Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.