2026 Olympics | Figure Skating | Men’s Short Program

USA’s Ilia Malinin set the bar for the Men’s figure skating discipline after taking first place in the Short Program at the 2026 Olympics. Yuma Kagiyama of Japan sits in second after a strong program, while France’s Adam Siao Him Fa gave the skate of his career in this segment for third place.

Ilia Malinin

Malinin delivered a commanding short program set to “Dies Irae” by Náttúra and “The Lost Crown,” capturing first place with 108.16 points. He confidently reeled off a quadruple flip, triple Axel, and quadruple Lutz–triple toe combination. Two spins earned level four, though the two-time World champion dropped a level on his flying sit spin and step sequence, leaving valuable points behind. Still, both quad jumps received impressive grades of execution, ranging from +2 to +5.

“I felt really good, honestly,” said the 21-year-old. “I definitely took a different approach from the team event. I had too much—I’ll call it Olympic excitement. It just felt like so much pressure, and I was hyped up and excited to go out there. Coming to this short program, I wanted to take things a little more slowly, a little more calm, and honestly, just put the autopilot button and see what happens. I was pleased that I was able to stay more on my feet this time.”

When asked about pushing the boundaries of the sport, Malinin said: “I think it’s such an honor just to create a piece of art. I’m so grateful to be surrounded by so many amazing, different artists on the ice. All of us really put so much effort into this competition, into skating itself, and into making it as beautiful as we can on the ice.”

While the skater knows he’s coming in as the “favorite” for gold, he’s not taking it for granted.

“Being the favorite is one thing. Actually earning it under pressure is another,” he said. “I still have to put in the work for the long program.”

Yuma Kagiyama

Kagiyama finished second with 103.07 points following a dynamic, crowd-lifting performance to “I Wish.” He landed a confident quad toe–triple toe combination and quad Salchow. The 2022 Olympic silver medalist stepped out of his triple Axel, but secured level fours across all spins and his step sequence, collecting generous GOEs throughout. His program component marks were the highest in the entire men’s field (46.57).

“Honestly, short program scores don’t mean much,” said the 22-year-old. “In my case, no matter how high or low they are, they’re not a reference at all for the free skate.”

The skater from Nagoya said he did everything he could to do his best in the short program.

“I knew even before the results were announced how things would be judged, so I had made a solid plan for how to recover and step things up,” he said. “Not everything went smoothly, but I’ve been able to stick to my own routine, so I feel that I really skated with 100% effort today.”

“Ilia, who skated before me, had a cool program with a different type of music, while mine had a very bright tone,” he pointed out. “Since I was last to skate, I knew a lot of people would be heading home after my performance. So, I skated with the intention that everyone could go home skipping along in a happy mood, and for myself to finish the performance in the most enjoyable way. And by focusing properly on the things I needed to do, like the quad jumps, I think it went well.”

Adam Siao Him Fa

Adam Siao Him Fa of France gave a technically difficult, but artistic routine to “La Terre vue du ciel,” scoring a new personal best of 102.55 for third place. His program included a solid quad toe-triple toe, triple Axel and quad Salchow. The 2024 World bronze medalist also picked up a level four on all spins. While the footwork was graded a level three, all his jumps earned high GOEs, particularly the quad Salchow.

“I’m feeling very happy about the performance,” said the 25-year-old. “It was really the performance I had imagined to do; the performance I worked for and prepared for. I’m very happy that I could do what I wanted to. Everything went as planned.”

The skater skipped Europeans so he could prepare for this event and be in the best possible shape.

“It was really important to me to have a big training period where I could really develop my strength, my shape, my stamina, and also work on my mental,” he said. “It was a need.”

He realizes the free skate on Friday won’t be easy.

“I’m looking forward to it the same way that I did tonight,” said Siao Him Fa. “It’s going to be another competition, another program, but I’ve worked for it. I know what I can do. I’m looking forward to it.”

Daniel Grassl

Daniel Grassl of Italy put out a fiercely expressive short program to Tango per la libertà which was highlighted by his innovative spins. He slightly underrotated a quad loop, but the opening quad Lutz-triple toe and triple Axel were clean. He placed fourth (93.46) going into the free skate.

“I’m feeling so good,” the 2022 European silver medalist said of his skate. “It was a nice performance and I’m very happy about it. Of course, the judges were very strict, but that’s normal because it’s the Olympics. They are strict with everyone, I saw that. I felt really good.”

When asked if he heard the crowd reacting to his jumps, he said: “Oh my God, yes! I heard it, especially at the loop! I think my team leader screamed so much, I heard him. I heard him so loudly and I tried to focus again, but it was a very nice emotion. It was very nice to hear the crowd so loud every time our skaters are out there. It was just amazing.”

Mikhail Shaidorov

Mikhail Shaidorov of Kazakhstan kicked off his commanding “Dune” short program with a quad Lutz–triple toe combination, though the Lutz was marked a quarter short. He followed it up with a clean triple Axel and quad toe, earning level fours on two of his spins. He currently holds fifth place with 92.94 points.

“It was very nerve-wracking because this is not the World Championship, this is the Olympic Games,” said the 2025 Four Continents champion. So that’s actually really hard. But I was able to overcome the nerves that I had. I was able to skate, enjoy it, and do a good job. There was nothing more to do than what I did.”

“Preparing for the free skating is unusual because we have two days in between,” he added. “I think I’ve never had that before. But I believe that is a plus for me, because tomorrow I will have some rest. Here, it’s really a lot of nerves, and I’m happy that I was able to overcome it. Now I can go home and sleep calmly.”

Junhwan Cha

South Korea’s Junhwan Cha delivered a stirring routine to “Rain, In Your Black Eyes,” highlighted by a strong quad Salchow and triple Lutz–triple loop. He received a slight underrotation call on the triple Axel, but the 2023 World silver medalist earned level fours on all of his spins. Despite the small blemish on the Axel and losing a level on the footwork, he secured a season’s best score of 92.72 points.

“Today my biggest goal was to enjoy skating and skate with my heart,” said the 24-year-old. “I think I achieved that goal and I think I truly did my very best. I gave it everything I have. I’m very grateful and happy. Especially today in the venue, the audience was really cheering for the skaters. That was really powerful for us, to react on that energy and give it back. It made us feel really grateful. I was very happy that I could skate here today.”

Kevin Aymoz

Kevin Aymoz gave a spirited performance to “Le Lac” and “Judas,” earning 92.64 points for seventh place. His routine was highlighted by a solid quad toe-triple toe and excellent level-four footwork.

“It was such a great moment because I really worked hard the last days of the last week,” said the 2022 Olympian. “And when I went on the ice, I did not give up. I was like, ‘Go get it, Kevin, it’s your moment. You really worked so hard. You’ve been 25 years skating for this. Go take the moment.’ And I did it. I’m really proud.”

“Regarding the team event, I want to give a big shout-out to Matteo Rizzo,” added the 28-year-old. “Some years ago, after my short program in Kaunas, Lithuania, he was one of the skaters who went with me to take a coffee. We talked for a really long time. And he got the bronze medal two days ago, and I’m so proud of that. I cannot wish anyone else to get a medal more than him. I’m really happy for him. It’s beautiful to share this whole Olympic moment with so many people.”

Rounding out the top 10

USA’s Andrew Torgashev scored a new personal best 88.94 for eighth place after his rock-ballad performance to “Maybe I Maybe You” by the Scorpions. His jump included a quad toe, triple Axel and triple flip-triple toe.

“I’m feeling great!” said Torgashev. “The adrenaline has worn off a little bit, so I’m ready to sit down, but I’m still feeling very good. I chose to embrace the mood of the program—the rock and roll of it. At the end of the program, I always feel like I want to be a rock star on the big stage, like breaking the guitar. I was having the time of my life.”

Japan’s Shun Sato stepped out of a quad toe-double toe and lost a level on some spins and footwork to place ninth place (88.70) going into the free skate. However, his quad Lutz and triple Axel were solid.

“Personally, I felt like I needed to do more,” said the two-time Four Continents medalist. “I thought it would be around 85 or 86. But when my score came out; it was better than I imagined, so I was a little surprised. I feel like I over-rotated my Lutz a bit. It feels like I maybe put in too much force. I think it went as it would usually, but I probably also felt a little nervous. I want to reset my mindset for the free skate and do my best to skate in a good way.”

Stephen Gogolev  of Canada landed a quad toe-triple toe and quad Salchow, but put a foot down on a triple Axel. Two spins and the footwork received a level four and he scored 87.41 points.

“I think experience-wise, I was able to know what to expect out of the performance and the audience,” said the 21-year-old. “From a physical perspective, this is my third time competing in four days, so it is a little bit physically challenging. You have to get down and come back up after each performance.”

Related info:

• Official Results
• Olympic Qualification System for Figure Skating
• Competition Threads
• Replay Lounge
• More Olympic Figure Skating news

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