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Ilia Malinin wrote his name into the record books Wednesday.
The 17-year-old landed a quad axel in the U.S. International Figure Skating Classic, becoming the first to do so in competition.
"When I’m practicing it, it's pretty easy for me to figure out how to get the right timing and everything to have it be a good attempt," Malinin said of the difficult jump. "To do it in competition is a different story, because you have nerves and pressure that can get in the way of that. So I have to treat it like I'm at home, and it feels pretty good."
Malinin finished with an overall score of 257.28 to coast to a gold medal. France's Kevin Aymoz won silver, with American Camden Pulkinen rounding out the podium.
Malinin is among the U.S. representatives for this year's Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series, which kicks off Oct. 21 with the Skate America. There, the Virginia native will have an opportunity to test himself against the best in the world ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics.
The first two competitions for the Winter Olympics figure skating team event took place on Thursday night in Beijing.
The United States is in the lead with 20 points. The Russian Olympic Committee follows with 17 points and Italy rounds out the top three with 14.
First, Nathan Chen topped the men's short program with a brilliant run to earn 10 points for the United States. He scored a career-best 111.71, the second-highest short program score ever behind 111.82 by Yuzuru Hanyu at the 2020 Four Continents Championships.
Chen is chasing his first Olympics gold medal, the only gold medal that has eluded him throughout his senior career. After his run, he spoke about the difference in his mindset compared to 2018 in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
"Last Olympics, I was just three senior internationals in, I hadn't really competed internationally, so just a very large lack of experience," Chen said. "But now coming into this, I'm really happy to be here, very excited to be here and surrounded by amazing teammates."
Next up was the rhythm dance competition, which was won by Team USA's Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue, The three-time ice dance world medalists had a strong showing with a score of 86.56 to earn 10 more points for the United States.
Russian Olympic Committee members and reigning world champions Viktoria Sinitsina and Nikita Katsalapov were the favorites coming into the competition and finished second with 85.05. Italy's Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri placed third with 83.83.
It's the third time that 10 countries have qualified for the team event. There will be men's, women's, pairs and ice dance competitions. Teams earn 1-10 points based on placement in each discipline, with first place earning 10 points and 10th place earning one point.
The five teams with the lowest scores after the short program will be eliminated. The top five teams will advance to the free skate to compete for the medals.
Figure skating at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing kicked off with the men's short program Thursday night.
Team USA's Nathan Chen placed in first place with a score of 111.71. With the finish, he gives the United States 10 points towards its team score.
There were nine skaters competing in the men's short program. Here's a full rundown of the scores along with a deeper look at the action.
Final Scores
1. Nathan Chen, USA - 111.71
2. Shoma Uno, Japan - 105.46.
3. Mark Kondratiuk, ROC - 95.81
4. Morisi Kvitelashvili, Georgia - 92.37
5. Daniel Grassl, Italy - 88.10
6. Jin Boyang, China - 82.87
7. Michal Brezina, Czech Republic - 76.77
8. Roman Sadovsky, Canada - 71.06
9. Paul Fentz, Germany - 68.64
The reigning and three-time world champion Chen was looking to improve on his fourth-place finish at the event in the 2018 Winter Games and he did just that. He started off his Olympics with a breathtaking run to record his best-ever score in this event.
It was the second-highest men's short program score ever behind only Yuzuru Hanyu's 111.82 in 2020.
Chen is still chasing his first Olympics gold medal. If he continues skating like this going forward, he could achieve the one thing that has eluded him throughout his storied career.
Japan's Shoma Uno was the first skater to earn a score above 100, placing second with 105.46. Mark Kondratiuk of the Russian Olympic Committee took third with 95.81.
Canada's Roman Sadovsky scored 71.06 to finish in eighth place. Canada placed first in the 2018 team event and has some work to do if it hopes make it to the free skate to defend its title.
The United States figure-skating contingent comes into the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing with some pressure to succeed.
The Americans left the 2018 Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea, with two bronze medals from the pairs and ice dancing events.
Three-time world champion Nathan Chen is the best American gold-medal hopeful on the figure-skating ice after a disappointing showing in South Korea.
The women's singles skaters face a tough task against a trio of Russians. Gold may not be in the cards, but they have potential to medal.
Similar outcomes could await the pairs and ice-dancing teams, who are not expected to chase for gold in Beijing.
The full U.S. Olympic figure-skating roster and uniforms can be found on TeamUSA.org.
Top Superstars
Nathan Chen
Nathan Chen carries the American gold-medal hopes on his shoulders in figure skating.
The 22-year-old experienced a tough skate in South Korea, which saw him to finish fifth.
Chen followed up that performance with three consecutive victories at the World Championships to install himself as the favorite in the men's singles event. He is also the six-time reigning United States men's champion and has placed high in every major event in which he's competed except for the Olympics.
He will face competition from 2018 gold medalist Yuzuru Hanyu and his Japanese compatriot Shoma Uno for the gold in Beijing.
If Chen wins, he will become the first American man to win the gold since Evan Lysacek in 2010. Lysacek broke a drought that dated back to 1988 with his triumph in Vancouver.
Karen Chen
Karen Chen was the highest-placing American female at the 2021 World Championships.
Chen earned the second fourth-place finish of her career at Worlds, finishing behind a trio of Russian skaters.
The 22-year-old took second at the U.S. Championships in January to confirm her spot on the Olympic team alongside Mariah Bell and Alysa Liu.
Chen is looking to become the first American medalist in the women's singles competition since Sasha Cohen earned silver in 2006.
However, it will be a tough task for Chen, Bell or Liu to win a medal because of how dominant the Russians have been in the event recently.
Russia swept the medal stand at the 2021 World Championships, and it took first and third in 2019. The Russians will compete under the Russian Olympic Committee name in Beijing because the Russian flag and anthem were banned following an investigation into a mass doping operation.
Chen can challenge for a silver or a bronze medal if she produces clean skates. She may have a chance at gold if she delivers the performance of her life and the Russian athletes slip up.
The last four years of Nathan Chen's life have been centered on winning gold at the 2022 Winter Olympics.
The 22-year-old is one of the most decorated athletes in any sport going into the Games in Beijing.
Chen has won the last three men's figure skating world titles and is the clear favorite to take home the gold in the competition in China.
The American is also seeking redemption after he finished 17th in a tough short program four years ago in Pyeongchang, South Korea. He rebounded in the free skate to finish fifth, but he was expected to perform much better.
Kamila Valieva faces the same pressure in the women's event. She is expected to lead a dominant Russian contingent on the medal stand.
The Russian Olympic Committee took home three medals in 2018 and it will be expected to top the medal board in Beijing with three medal favorites in the women's competition.
Chen is a -400 favorite to win the men's competition at DraftKings Sportsbook. Odds for the women's competition have not been listed yet.
Olympic Figure Skating Odds
Men's Competition
Nathan Chen (United States) (-400; bet $400 to win $100)
Yuzuru Hanyu (Japan) (+550; bet $100 to win $550)
Shoma Uno (Japan) (+1000)
Yuma Kagiyama (Japan) (+1200)
Mark Kondratiuk (ROC) (+1200)
Pairs
Mishina/Galliamov (ROC) (+100)
Sui Wenjing/Han Cong (China) (+175)
Tarasova/Morozov (ROC) (+400)
Boikova/Kozlovskii (ROC) (+600)
James/Radford (Canada) (+2000)
Ice Dancing
Papadakis/Cizeron (France) (-250)
Sinitsina/Katsalapov (ROC) (+200)
Gilles/Poirier (Canada) (+1100)
Hubbell/Donohue (United States) (+1400)
Chock/Bates (United States) (+1600)
Preview
The American medal focus in figure skating will all be on Chen, who is the largest favorite in the eyes of the oddsmakers for the listed events.
The Salt Lake City native won the 2021 World Championships in Stockholm, Sweden, last March ahead of the Japanese trio of Yuzuru Hanyu, Yuma Kagiyama and Shoma Uno.
Chen has taken gold at the last three World Championships, so he has plenty of experience skating against top competition at the best events in the world.
However, he has to avoid a slip-up like he faced in the short program in Pyeongchang, South Korea, four years ago. A bad display in Beijing could again cost him a medal.
Japan is expected to take at least two of the three men's medals because of its fantastic trio of skaters.
A gold medal is possible for Hanyu, Kagiyama or Uno if they deliver the performance of their lives and Chen experiences even the slightest struggle.
The Russian Olympic Committee should come away with the most medals across all of the figure skating events.
Valieva is considered the favorite to win the women's event, and the Russians have two other skaters with gold-medal potential in Anna Shcherbakova and Alexandra Trusova.
Shcherbakova is the world champion in the women's discipline, and she should battle with Valieva for gold.
The ROC also has three of the four favored duos for the pairs event, with at least two medals expected from the event.
The French pair of Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron are strongly fancied to win the ice dance competition.
The United States' best chance to win a medal outside of Chen should come in the ice dancing. Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue finished second at the 2021 World Championships, but the French duo were not present at that competition. A silver or bronze is possible for the American pair.
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With the new year here, the buildup to the Beijing Olympics and Paralympics has commenced in earnest as well, with multiple sports holding championships over the next few weeks.
For fans of figure skating, the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, which kick off Monday and continue through Sunday, are appointment television. This year held in Nashville, Tennessee, the competition will showcase beloved disciplines like rhythm dance, pairs short program, ladies' and men's short program, free skate and free dance.
The event crowns champions in the ladies', men's, pairs and ice dance disciplines at the championship and junior levels of U.S. Figure Skating. It is also the last remaining qualifier ahead of the Beijing Games.
Fan favorites Alysa Liu and Nathan Chen and pairs Madison Hubbell and Zach Donohue and Madison Chock and Evan Bates will be some of the competitors to keep an eye on over the next week.
Let's break down how you can tune in before previewing the action.
U.S. Figure Skating Championships 2022 Overview
Dates: Monday, Jan. 3-Sunday, Jan. 9
Location: Bridgestone Arena; Nashville, Tennessee
TV: USA Network, NBC
Live Stream: Peacock
U.S. Figure Skating Championships TV Schedule
Thursday, 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT: Pairs Short Program (USA Network)
Thursday, 8:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. PT: Women's Short Program (USA Network)
Friday, 4:30 p.m. ET/1:30 p.m. PT: Ice Dance Rhythm Dance (USA Network)
Friday, 8 p.m. ET/PT (7 p.m. CT/MT): Women's Free Skate (NBC)
Saturday, 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT: Men's Short Program (NBC)
Saturday, 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT: Ice Dance Free Dance and Pairs Free Skate (USA Network)
Sunday, 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT: Men's Free Skate (NBC)
Thursday marks the beginning of the U.S. Figure Skating championship weekend.
Junior Pairs Short Program, Junior Men Short Program and Junior Rhythm Dance are scheduled for Tuesday, while Junior Ladies Short Program Free Skates/Dance, Junior Men Free Skate, Junior Pairs Free Skate and Junior Free Dance take place Wednesday.
Though the junior sessions won't be broadcast on NBC or USA Network, spectators can attend. Bridgestone Arena requires all spectators over the age of five to show proof of vaccination or a negative PCR or NAAT COVID-19 test taken within the three days prior to entering the building, and all spectators over the age of two must wear masks.
On Monday, there are no in-person or televised events, as the athletes will be practicing. U.S. Figure Skating has canceled athlete autograph sessions and limited access to the secondary practice rink in Bellevue to accredited individuals only to mitigate risk to the athletes.
Chen, Hubbell/Donohue and Chock/Bates are medal contenders in Beijing. Now 16, Liu became the youngest U.S. women's national champion at 13 and is preparing for her first Olympics.
Participating skaters with Olympic experience include Karen Chen, Vincent Zhou, Jason Brown and Alexa Knierim, who now competes in pairs with Brandon Frazier after competing in Pyeongchang with her husband, Chris.
The full U.S. Figure Skating Olympic team will be named by January 10.
