The men's figure skating final at the 2026 Winter Olympics is poised to deliver one of the most anticipated moments of the Milan Games this Friday. American prodigy Ilia Malinin enters the free skate as the overwhelming favorite to capture gold, carrying a substantial lead from the short program. The competition, scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. Eastern Time, will showcase 24 of the world's finest skaters in a battle for Olympic glory. The skating order, determined by short program results, places Malinin in the prestigious final position, where he will close the event with the entire world watching. His five-point advantage over Japan's Yuma Kagiyama reflects not just a scoring margin but a gap in technical capability that has defined this Olympic cycle. As the final group takes the ice, the narrative seems clear: can anyone challenge Malinin's seemingly inevitable march to the top of the podium?
The Olympic figure skating final follows a strict format where skating order directly correlates with short program performance. This structure ensures the highest drama, with the leader skating last. The 24 competitors represent a diverse cross-section of global figure skating, from emerging nations to traditional powerhouses.
The opening segment features athletes who qualified near the cutoff. Li Yu-Hsiang of Chinese Taipei leads off, followed by Mexico's charismatic Donovan Carrillo, whose performances have garnered significant social media attention. Japan's rising star Kao Miura demonstrates the depth of Japanese skating, while Poland's Vladimir Samoilov and Slovakia's Adam Hagara represent the next generation of European competitors.
The middle portion showcases established international veterans. Switzerland's Lukas Britschgi brings precision and artistry, while Estonia's Aleksandr Selevko and Latvia's Deniss Vasiljevs continue the Baltic region's strong skating tradition. Italy's Matteo Rizzo skates before his home crowd, carrying the weight of host nation expectations.
The second half introduces higher technical difficulty. Georgia's Nika Egadze has steadily improved his quadruple jump consistency. American Maxim Naumov competes with deep personal motivation. China's Boyang Jin, a veteran of multiple Olympic cycles, brings experience and technical prowess. The AIN designation for Petr Gumennik reflects the complex political landscape affecting Olympic participation, while Ukraine's Kyrylo Marsak competes under the emotional weight of his nation's ongoing conflict.
North American and Asian depth becomes apparent with Canada's Stephen Gogolev and Japan's Shun Sato, both capable of multiple quadruple jumps. American Andrew Torgashev opens the final group, followed by France's elegant Kevin Aymoz and Korea's consistent Junhwan Cha. Kazakhstan's Mikhail Shaidorov and Italy's Daniel Grassl complete the penultimate section.
The medal-determining final three skaters represent the pinnacle of contemporary men's skating. France's Adam Siao Him Fa, who last defeated Malinin in November 2023, skates first among the contenders. Japan's Yuma Kagiyama, the 2022 Olympic silver medalist, performs second to last, needing perfection and a Malinin mistake to upgrade his medal color. Finally, Ilia Malinin takes the ice last, his five-point buffer allowing strategic flexibility in his program construction.
At just 21 years old, Ilia Malinin has revolutionized men's figure skating through his mastery of the sport's most difficult element: the quadruple axel. He remains the only competitor in history to successfully land a fully rotated quadruple axel in international competition, a feat he first achieved at the 2022 CS U.S. International Classic. He has landed it multiple times since, consistently pushing technical boundaries that other athletes consider impossible.
Malinin's competitive resume reflects his superiority. He has captured two World Championship titles, three Grand Prix Final gold medals, and four U.S. Championships, establishing himself as the most dominant skater of his generation. His short program score of 108.16 points demonstrates his current form, building a substantial cushion over his rivals. When questioned about attempting the quadruple axel in the Olympic final, Malinin emphasized his measured approach: "I'm hoping that I'll feel good enough to do it, but, of course, I always prioritize health and safety."
The betting markets reflect his dominance with staggering odds of -10000, which translate to a 99.01% probability of victory. Such overwhelming favoritism is virtually unprecedented in Olympic figure skating history, where subjective judging and high-pressure environments typically create more competitive fields.
Yuma Kagiyama, the 2022 Olympic silver medalist from Japan, currently sits in second place with 103.07 points. His short program included a minor error when he stepped out of his triple axel landing, costing valuable points. However, his proven Olympic pedigree and technical consistency make him the most credible threat. A five-point deficit requires perfection from Kagiyama and a significant mistake from Malinin—a combination that seems unlikely but remains possible in the unpredictable realm of Olympic competition.
Adam Siao Him Fa of France holds third position with 102.55 points, placing him within striking distance of Kagiyama for silver. Siao Him Fa is the last skater to defeat Malinin, accomplishing the feat in November 2023. Since then, Malinin has won 12 consecutive international events. Siao Him Fa's artistic excellence and technical reliability position him as a strong medal contender, though closing the gap with Malinin would require a near-perfect performance combined with errors from both skaters ahead of him.
Beyond the medal favorites, the competition features compelling human stories that exemplify the Olympic spirit. American skater Maxim Naumov carries particular emotional weight as he competes in memory of his parents, former Olympic pairs skaters Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, who tragically died in a plane crash last year. The 24-year-old athlete has dedicated his Olympic performance to their memory, with a poignant message displayed on the arena jumbotron before his short program: "Mom and Dad, this is for you."
According to Susan Hamel-Bottari, a coach at the Skating Club of Boston, this Olympic dream represented a family aspiration. "It was a dream that all of them had," she explained to CBS News. Naumov himself has embraced this sentiment, noting, "He always says it's not one, it's three," referencing his parents' spiritual presence in his Olympic journey. His participation transcends competitive results, representing resilience and familial legacy on sport's biggest stage.
As the competition unfolds, all eyes will focus on whether Malinin attempts his signature quadruple axel and whether he can maintain his remarkable consistency under Olympic pressure. The final group promises extraordinary technical difficulty, with multiple quadruple jumps expected from each contender. While the gold medal appears predetermined, the battle for silver and bronze remains fiercely competitive, with Kagiyama, Siao Him Fa, and several other technically proficient skaters separated by narrow margins.
The men's free skate represents the culmination of four years of preparation, with athletes showcasing the evolution of figure skating's technical standards. Regardless of outcomes, the event will likely be remembered as a coronation of Malinin's dominance while celebrating the diverse stories and national pride of 24 exceptional competitors.