The U.S. is sending just four athletes sliding to Milan to compete in the fast-paced sport of Skeleton at the 2026 Winter Games. You can catch all of Team USA’s Skeleton Heats live on Peacock. Below is the complete schedule of all Team USA’s Skeleton events at this year’s games, along with a rundown of who is competing. While every race will stream on Peacock, some will also be broadcast on NBC and USA Network. (To see specific air times, check out the official NBC Olympics broadcast schedule, and toggle your search to “TV Only.”) Here’s a rundown of how to watch every Skeleton event at the 2026 Winter Games.
And if you want to learn even more about every event at this year’s Winter Games, here’s a guide to everything you need to know about Milan-Cortina 2026.
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How to watch Skeleton at the 2026 Winter Olympics
Competition dates: Feb. 12 – 15
TV channels: NBC, USA
Streaming: Peacock, DirecTV, and more
Where can I stream Skeleton at the 2026 Winter Olympics?
For $17 monthly you can upgrade to an ad-free subscription which includes live access to your local NBC affiliate (not just during designated sports and events) and the ability to download select titles to watch offline.
Where to watch Skeleton on TV:
Team USA men’s and women’s Skeleton coverage will be split between NBC and USA, which you can stream on DirecTV, Hulu + Live TV, and more. NBC will only be airing select coverage live. For specific times on NBC, make sure to check out the official NBC Olympics broadcast schedule, and toggle your search to “TV Only.”
How to watch Olympic Skeleton without cable:
Who is on the Team USA Skeleton team?
These are the athletes on Team USA’s Skeleton team:
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Dan Barefoot, 35, Johnstown, PA
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Kelly Curtis, 37, Princeton, NJ
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Austin Florian, 31, Southington, CT
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Mystique Ro, 31, Nokesville, VA
2026 Team USA Skeleton TV schedule:
All times Eastern
All events will stream on Peacock and NBCOlympics.com. NBC will only be airing select coverage live. For specific times on NBC, make sure to check out the official NBC Olympics broadcast schedule, and toggle your search to “TV Only.”
Monday, Feb 9
Official Training
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2:00 a.m. — Women’s Training, Heat 1
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3:02 a.m. — Women’s Training, Heat 2
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4:30 a.m. — Men’s Training, Heat 1
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5:32 a.m. — Men’s Training, Heat 2
Tuesday, Feb 10
Official Training
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5:00 a.m. — Women’s Training, Heat 3
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6:02 a.m. — Women’s Training, Heat 4
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7:30 a.m. — Men’s Training, Heat 3
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8:32 a.m. — Men’s Training, Heat 4
Wednesday, Feb 11
Official Training
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4:00 a.m. — Women’s Training, Heat 5
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5:02 a.m. — Women’s Training, Heat 6
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6:30 a.m. — Men’s Training, Heat 5
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7:32 a.m. — Men’s Training, Heat 6
Thursday, Feb 12
Men’s Competition
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3:30 a.m. — Men’s Heat 1
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5:08 a.m. — Men’s Heat 2
Friday, Feb 13
Competition / Medal Day
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10:00 a.m. — Women’s Heat 1
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11:48 a.m. — Women’s Heat 2
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1:30 p.m. — Men’s Heat 3 (Medal Heat)
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3:05 p.m. — Men’s Heat 4 (Medal Heat)
Saturday, Feb 14
Competition / Medal Day
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12:00 p.m. — Women’s Heat 3 (Medal Heat)
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1:44 p.m. — Women’s Heat 4 (Medal Heat)
Sunday, Feb 15
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12:00 p.m. — Skeleton Mixed Team Event (Medal Event)
More ways to watch the 2026 Winter Olympics
New England Patriots vs. Seattle Seahawks: How to watch the 2026 Super Bowl today
The New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks are headed to the 2026 Super Bowl today at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, CA. You can catch the Big Game on NBC and Peacock. And Bad Bunny will headline the 2026 Super Bowl halftime show, with Charlie Puth performing the National Anthem, Brandi Carlile singing “America the Beautiful” and Coco Jones performing “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” Here’s how to watch the 2026 Super Bowl.
How to watch the 2026 Super Bowl:
Date: Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026
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Time: 6:30 p.m. ET
Location: Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, CA
TV channel: NBC
Streaming: Peacock, DirecTV
How to watch the 2026 Super Bowl without cable
If you don’t have access to NBC already, you’ll be able to stream the 2026 Super Bowl live on Peacock.
The New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks will play in the 2026 Super Bowl.
When is the 2026 Super Bowl?
Super Bowl LX will be held on Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026.
Where is the 2026 Super Bowl?
The upcoming Super Bowl will be held at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
2026 Super Bowl kickoff time:
The 2026 Super Bowl will kick off at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT.
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How to watch the 2026 Super Bowl for free
Who is performing at the 2026 Super Bowl Halftime Show?
Bad Bunny, who holds the title as the most-streamed artist in the world, will headline the 2026 Super Bowl Halftime Show. You can expect that show to begin after the second quarter, likely between 8-8:30 p.m. ET. Singer Charlie Puth will also be at the game to perform the National Anthem, Brandi Carlile is scheduled to sing “America the Beautiful,” and Coco Jones will perform “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”
More ways to watch Super Bowl LX:
Winter Olympics 2026: Breezy Johnson breaks gold medal after winning Alpine downhill
Alpine skier Breezy Johnson earned the USA’s second gold medal in women’s downhill on Sunday. With a time of 1:36.10, she beat out Germany’s Emma Aicher by just four hundredths of a second.
Johnson’s medal was also the first won by the U.S. in the 2026 Winter Olympics. Unfortunately, her coveted prize was damaged by the time she left the medal stand. While celebrating, the ribbon attached to the medal broke away. Johnson’s medal fell and was broken into three pieces.
USA Alpine skier Breezy Johnson shows her broken gold medal to the media during the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. (Photo by Andrew Milligan/PA Images via Getty Images)
(Andrew Milligan – PA Images via Getty Images)
“Well, I was jumping up and down in excitement, and it fell off,” Johnson explained to reporters. “I think that’s maybe why it broke.”
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“I don’t know that the Italians are known for their engineering,” she added, joking that none of the assembled media offered to fix the medal. “I assume someone will fix it.”
During her news conference, Johnson held up the detached ribbon and three pieces of the broken medal for reporters to see, calling it a “show-and-tell moment.”
“It is heavy, it’s broken. It’s a look,” she said.
In addition to the joy of winning gold, Johnson also felt the emotions of watching teammate Lindsey Vonn crash and get airlifted from the Tofane slope at Cortina d’Ampezzo due to her injuries. While waiting through a 30-minute delay and for the rest of the competition to finish, she could be seen tearing up several times.
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Perhaps Johnson was also recalling her own memories of getting hurt at the same venue. In 2022, she crashed and injured her right knee on training run in Cortina, which kept her from competing in the Beijing Games.
Johnson could have another opportunity for a gold medal in the women’s combined team competition, possibly paired with Mikaela Shiffrin. If she wins that event, she may hold onto that medal more tightly.
Winter Olympics 2026: President Trump, ‘Miracle on Ice’ captain Mike Eruzione rebuke skier Hunter Hess for comments on representing U.S.
Remarks made by American freestyle skier Hunter Hess regarding “mixed emotions” about representing the United States in the 2026 Winter Olympics have drawn criticism from some fans and observers — including President Trump.
During a news conference with the U.S. freeski team in Milan on Friday, Hess, 27, said he felt conflicted because “a lot going on that I’m not the biggest fan of, and I think a lot of people aren’t.”
“It brings up mixed emotions to represent the U.S. right now, I think,” Hess said, via Portland, Oregon’s KGW8. “It’s a little hard. There’s obviously a lot going on that I’m not the biggest fan of, and I think a lot of people aren’t.”
“For me, it’s more I’m representing my friends and family back home, the people that represented before me, all the things that I believe are good about the U.S.,” he added. “I think if it aligns with my moral values, I feel like I’m representing it. Just because I’m wearing the flag doesn’t mean I represent everything that’s going on in the U.S.”
Trump responded on social media on Sunday, saying Hess “shouldn’t have tried out for the Team, and it’s too bad he’s on it.”
Hess’ comments earlier raised the ire of Mike Eruzione, a captain on the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” gold medal team who scored the game-winning goal versus the Soviet Union in the medal round. He has previously shown support for Donald Trump, but in responding to Hess on Saturday, he didn’t mention the president. He stated that the skier shouldn’t wear a uniform representing the U.S. if he’d prefer to represent friends and family instead.
“Hunter Hess US snowboarder saying he doesn’t represent his country but his family and friends,” Eruzione posted. “Then don’t put on the USA uniform maybe just put for family and friend some athletes just don’t get it.”
Eruzione was criticized for appearing at a Trump rally in 2020 with his U.S. hockey teammates and wearing a hat that said “Keep America Great.”
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In response to the backlash received for his appearance, Eruzione expressed regret for wearing the hat.
“If we knew we were going to piss off this many people, we probably would not have put the hats on,” Eruzione, 65, told the Washington Post. “That’s the big question here. A lot of the stuff I got was, ‘You guys said it’s not political, but when you put the hats on, you made it political.’ ”
Presumably, Hess’ remarks “made it political” in Eruzione’s view. Yet he’s not the only U.S. athlete who has voiced ambivalent sentiments toward what’s currently happening. Freestyle aerialist Chris Lillis said he wouldn’t want to represent any other country, but is “heartbroken” over current events.
“I feel heartbroken about what’s happened in the United States,” Lillis said, via the Washington Post. “I think that, as a country, we need to focus on respecting everybody’s rights and making sure that we’re treating our citizens as well as anybody with love and respect. I hope that when people look at athletes competing in the Olympics, they realize that’s the America that we’re trying to represent.”
Lindsey Vonn is in ‘stable condition’ after surgery to repair fracture from crash in women’s downhill
MILAN — After a devastating crash just 13 seconds into her downhill run, Lindsey Vonn “sustained an injury” but is in stable condition, according to U.S. Ski & Snowboard.
Sunday’s women’s downhill emerged as the most anticipated event in these Olympics, mainly because of Vonn — first for her comeback from her 2019 retirement, then from the torn ACL she suffered a little over a week ago. But her Olympic dreams vanished almost immediately into her run on Sunday morning. Her pole and shoulder caught a gate near the top of the mountain, spinning her sideways and sending her tumbling off the course. Her skis dug into the snow, twisting both knees and leaving her prone and bent on the hillside. According to the Associated Press, Vonn’s mandatory air bag worn under her race suit did inflate. A helicopter arrived within 10 minutes to evacuate her from the course, and after about 20 minutes, the event continued.
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Vonn was airlifted to Ca’ Foncello Hospital in Treviso. “In the afternoon, she underwent orthopedic surgery to stabilize the fracture sustained in her left leg,” the hospital said in a statement. She was initially taken to Cortina’s Codivilla Putti Hospital for immediate treatment, and later moved to Treviso.
Vonn’s teammate Breezy Johnson won gold, but the mood in Cortina in the wake of Vonn’s crash was somber.
(AP Foto/Jacquelyn Martin)
(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
(Screengrab by IOC via Getty Images)
(Handout via Getty Images)
Screengrab by IOC via Getty Images)
(Handout via Getty Images)
(Screengrab by IOC via Getty Images)
(Handout via Getty Images)
Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
(Al Bello via Getty Images)
Vonn, 41, came into the Olympics as one of Team USA’s biggest stars, thanks both to her longevity and her determination. She retired after the 2018 Olympics, betrayed by her body and unable to compete at a world-class level. But a 2024 partial knee replacement changed her entire future, allowing her to return to the slopes and work herself into Olympic shape.
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She earned her way onto the U.S. team with an array of podium finishes and two World Cup victories. But just a week before the start of the Winter Olympics, Vonn ruptured her left ACL in Switzerland. She spoke at a press conference on Tuesday affirming her intention to compete, and posted respectable times in her two training runs.
The horrifying crash elicited reactions from peers and fans alike.
“It doesn’t change anything about her legacy,” said fellow American Jackie Wiles, who finished fourth. “She’s a fighter, and that’s the way that she’s going to go out and ski every time.”
Damian Lillard, who hasn’t played this season, joining Devin Booker, Donovan Mitchell, Jamal Murray in NBA All-Star 3-point contest
Damian Lillard isn’t expected to play this season while recovering from a ruptured Achilles tendon.
But he’ll return to a familiar spot at next week’s NBA All-Star festivities. The Portland Trail Blazers guard has been invited to participate in the 3-point contest. He’ll do so alongside Devin Booker (Suns), Kon Knueppel (Hornets), Tyrese Maxey (76ers), Donovan Mitchell (Cavaliers), Jamal Murray (Nuggets), Bobby Portis Jr. (Bucks) and Norman Powell (Heat).
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The NBA announced the competitors on Sunday. The 3-point contest will take place next Saturday at the Intuit Dome, home of the Los Angeles Clippers.
Lillard, a nine-time All-Star, has won the 3-point contest twice. He’ll seek to tie the record of three 3-point contests wins held by Larry Bird and Craig Hodges, who combined to win six of the first seven 3-point contests.
Damian Lillard will compete in the 3-point contest at the NBA’s All-Star weekend.
(Amanda Loman via Getty Images)
Lillard ruptured his left Achilles tendon last postseason while playing for the Milwaukee Bucks. During the offseason, he signed a three-year contract to return to the Trail Blazers with whom he played his first 11 NBA seasons, making seven All-Star teams.
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Lillard, 35, is planning to sit the entire 2025-26 season to recover from his injury and return to the Portland lineup next season. He’s feeling well enough to compete next week and provided an update on his recovery to the “Road Trippin’ Show” last week.
“It’s going great,” Lillard said, per NBC Sports. “I think it’s just one of those injuries where you’ve got to take your time — you know, it takes what it takes. The first couple of weeks to maybe two or three months is kind of frustrating because you’re so limited.
“But with patience, giving yourself grace, and doing the things necessary to continue progressing, you get to a point where you start to see the light at the end of the tunnel.”
Lillard previously won the 3-point contest in 2018 and is the only competitor other than Booker with a win.
How can I watch the Super Bowl online or without cable? Where to stream free, Patriots vs. Seahawks game time and more
Super Bowl LX is today, and the game between the Patriots and Seahawks is projected to be one of the most-watched events of the year. This year’s game will take place at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, CA, and while the kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET, there will be pre-game coverage airing almost all day, starting at 12 p.m. ET on NBC. If you don’t have cable or are looking for other ways to tune in to the Big Game, not to worry, the game will be streaming on Peacock and NFL+ this year, too. If you don’t want to miss a moment of the game — including the halftime performance from 2026 Grammy winner Bad Bunny — here’s what you need to know about how to watch Super Bowl LX online or without cable.
How to watch Super Bowl LX online or without cable
Date: Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026
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Time: 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT
TV channel: NBC, Telemundo
Streaming: Peacock, DirecTV, NFL+ and more
2026 Super Bowl game time
The 2026 Super Bowl kicks off at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT on Feb. 8, 2026.
2026 Super Bowl game channel
The 2026 Super Bowl will air on NBC, with a Spanish-language broadcast available on Telemundo.
Where is the 2026 Super Bowl being played?
The 2026 Super Bowl will be held at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, CA, home of the San Francisco 49ers.
How to watch the 2026 Super Bowl without cable
You can stream NBC and Telemundo on platforms like DirecTV and Hulu + Live TV. (Note that Fubo and NBC are currently in the midst of a contract dispute, and NBC channels are not currently available on the platform.) The game will also be streaming on Peacock and on NFL+, though with an NFL+ subscription, you’re limited to watching the game on mobile devices.
For $17 monthly you can upgrade to an ad-free subscription which includes live access to your local NBC affiliate (not just during designated sports and events) and the ability to download select titles to watch offline.
Who is performing at the 2026 Super Bowl halftime show?
Bad Bunny, who holds the title of the most-streamed artist in the world, will be headlining the 2026 Super Bowl halftime performance. You can expect that show to begin after the second quarter, likely between 8-8:30 p.m. ET. Singer Charlie Puth will also be at the game to perform the National Anthem, Brandi Carlile is scheduled to sing “America The Beautiful,” and Coco Jones will perform “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”
2026 Super Bowl ticket cost
Tickets to the 2026 Super Bowl are available on third-party resale platforms like Gametime starting around $3,600.
More ways to watch Super Bowl LX
NDSU to reportedly pay roughly $17 million for football team to join Mountain West in 2026
North Dakota State University football is heading to the Mountain West in 2026. The school will reportedly shell out roughly $17 million in total to move to a new conference next season, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel.
The move, which is expected to be announced Monday, will move NDSU out of the Missouri Valley Conference, where the team has played since 2008.
The move will be costly. NDSU will reportedly pay $12 million to join the Mountain West. In addition to that, the school will pay $5 million to the NCAA to move to the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS).
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The move was expected, as Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger reported Friday that the two sides were inching closer to a deal. NDSU and the Mountain West have been in talks for over a year.
There’s a reason for that, as NDSU has won 10 of the past 15 national championships at the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level. The school has won 90 percent of its games and 10 conference titles in the Missouri Valley Conference since 2011. It has nothing more to prove at the FCS level.
Team athletic director Matt Larsen said as much on the “Hot Mic with Dom Izzo” podcast in January, saying the school wanted to play at “the highest level,” and added that it would “absolutely explore” that opportunity if it was a realistic option.
NDSU joining the Mountain West would give the conference 10 football teams for 2026. NDSU would join Air Force, UNLV, Nevada, New Mexico, San Jose State, Wyoming and other new full members Hawaii, Northern Illinois and UTEP. Hawaii, Northern Illinois and UTEP will join also join the conference in 2026.
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Notably, the move will reportedly only apply to NDSU’s football program. The other sports at the school will presumably remain in their current conferences. Most sports at NDSU play in the Missouri Valley Conference, though its wrestling program competes in the Big 12. NDSU won’t be the only school to split up its athletics in the Mountain West. Northern Illinois has a similar agreement, in which only its football and women’s gymnastics teams will move into the Mountain West next year.
What time is the Super Bowl on? Patriots vs. Seahawks 2026 kickoff, TV channel, where to stream and more
The New England Patriots are facing the Seattle Seahawks today in Super Bowl LX, with kickoff scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT. A record 127 million viewers watched last year’s game, and the number of Super Bowl viewers is expected to grow this year — as ratings go, it certainly won’t hurt that Bad Bunny, the most-streamed artist in the world and now winner of Album of the Year at the 2026 Grammys, is headlining today’s halftime show.
The 2026 Super Bowl will be broadcast on NBC and will stream live on Peacock. Here’s what you need to know to tune in to Super Bowl LX when it airs later today.
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How to watch Super Bowl LX:
Date: Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026
Time: 6:30 p.m. ET
TV channel: NBC, Telemundo
Streaming: Peacock, DirecTV, NFL+ and more
What time is the 2026 Super Bowl on today?
The 2026 Super Bowl kicks off at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT on Feb. 8, 2026. Green Day will also be performing a pre-game special starting at 6 p.m. ET.
2026 Super Bowl game TV channel
Super Bowl LX will air on NBC. A Spanish-language broadcast available on Telemundo.
Who are the 2026 Super Bowl teams?
The AFC champions, the New England Patriots, will play the NFC champions, the Seattle Seahawks, at Super Bowl LX.
Where is the 2026 Super Bowl being played?
The 2026 Super Bowl will be held at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, CA, home of the San Francisco 49ers.
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How to watch the 2026 Super Bowl without cable
You can stream NBC and Telemundo on platforms like DirecTV and Hulu + Live TV, both of which are among Engadget’s choices for best streaming services for live TV. (Note that Fubo and NBC are currently in the midst of a contract dispute and NBC channels are not available on the platform.) The game will also stream on Peacock and NFL+, though with an NFL+ subscription, you’re limited to watching on mobile devices.
For $17 monthly you can upgrade to an ad-free subscription which includes live access to your local NBC affiliate (not just during designated sports and events) and the ability to download select titles to watch offline.
Bad Bunny is headlining the 2026 Super Bowl halftime performance. You can expect that show to begin after the second quarter, likely between 8-8:30 p.m. ET. Green Day will also perform a pre-game show starting at 6 p.m. ET. If you’re tuning in before the game, singer Charlie Puth will perform the National Anthem, Brandi Carlile is scheduled to sing “America The Beautiful,” and Grammy winner Coco Jones will perform “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”
2026 Super Bowl odds:
The Super Bowl LX odds favor the Seahawks over the Patriots.
More ways to watch Super Bowl LX
Winter Olympics: Quad God Ilia Malinin lifts USA to team gold in figure skating … barely
MILAN — Ilia Malinin had just landed a backflip, a trick that fires up a crowd like few other elements in skating. He landed, and looked into the crowd, and there was Novak Djokovic, the tennis GOAT, celebrating as loud as everyone else in the arena.
“He was standing there, hands on his head,” an exhausted, exuberant Malinin said, a gold medal around his neck. “I was like, Oh, my God, you know,? That’s incredible. That’s like a one in a lifetime moment, just seeing a famous tennis player watching my performance. I’m absolutely blown away.”
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It was that kind of night for the Americans, a night when everything needed to go exactly right for the United States to defend its team figure skating gold. And everything did, with no margin for error. Amber Glenn’s Olympic debut, a barrage of quads from Ilia Malinin, and the finest-ever skate from pairs duo Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea all combined to give the United States the gold medal over Japan. Italy claimed bronze in a remarkably close competition.
The United States came into the evening with a five-point lead on Japan, but that lead quickly narrowed after the pairs program. Kam and O’Shea, ranked fifth among pairs after the short program, skated the routine of their lives, exulting in joy on the ice afterward.
USA’s Ilia Malinin competes in the figure skating men’s singles free skating team event during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at Milano Ice Skating Arena in Milan on February 8, 2026. (WANG Zhao / AFP via Getty Images)
(WANG ZHAO via Getty Images)
“It felt like a performance of a lifetime,” Kam said afterward, still almost vibrating with joy. “It’s certainly our personal best, and to put it out on a stage like this as a team, it feels amazing.”
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But even that performance was only good enough to earn a 135.36 and move the pair up into fourth place. A magnificent performance from Japan’s Ruku Miura and Ryuichi Khara earned a 155.55, won the pairs free skate event for Japan, and closed the gap with the United States to just two points with two events remaining.
Thus, the battle for the gold medal effectively became a math problem between the United States and Japan. That meant Team USA’s Amber Glenn, in her Olympic debut, needed to keep pace with Japan’s Kaori Sakamoto, a two-time Olympian and two-time medalist.
Glenn, one of the fastest and strongest skaters in the Olympics, began her routine with a difficult triple-axel that she barely landed, finishing with a tiny skid. Concern evident on her face, she missed an early combination and closed out a routine that was more powerful than precise. And when she completed her routine, she remained briefly on her knees, shaking her head in frustration.
“I just physically didn’t feel great. My legs were feeling heavy, I was tired, I just didn’t feel my best,” a visibly weary Glenn said after her skate. “I’ve been practicing here incredibly, I’ve been feeling really good, and I think I just had some fatigue. I need to really manage that going into the individual event.”
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Glenn grimaced as she was given a score of 138.62, knowing that the math wasn’t in her favor. She fell to third place after Sakamoto’s brilliant skate of 148.62, and the competition came down to the men’s competition with Japan and the United States tied at 59 points apiece. Further down the standings, Italy stood at 52 points, Georgia at 50 and Canada at 47.
After Italy’s Matteo Rizzo skated a strong program to keep the other two nations at bay and clinch a bronze medal for Italy, the ice belonged to Malinin. The Quad God skated onto the ice with a planned program that included seven quad jumps, including a never-before-done-in-the-Olympics quad axel. He started fourth of the five men’s skaters, a result of finishing in second in Saturday’s short program.
Malinin’s short program on Saturday night was uncharacteristically awkward. Sunday’ night’s free skate, by contrast, began with a perfectly executed quad flip. But his planned quad axel turned into a triple axel, and he threw in one of his traditional backflips for some more style. Again, it wasn’t quite up to his standards, scoring 200.03, but would it be enough against Japan’s Shun Sato?
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Barely. Sato skated the routine of his life, but ended up just a few points short of Malinin, finishing with a 194.86 that kept the audience on edge right until the score was announced. Once the United States claimed gold, the celebrations began in the American box, and in the stands, and on the medal stand, and then on into the Milan night.