"Ilia Malinin leaned his head back and wagged his tongue. This perhaps wasn't the start to his Olympic career that he wanted. The 21-year-old took it easy in the short program of the team figure skating competition Saturday, leaving his signature quad axel, but even with a watered down routine, the man known as the "Quad God" looked shockingly mortal."
"Malinin, who earned nine points for his second-place finish in the short program, entered his first Olympic Games as the overwhelming favorite to win individual gold. With unmatched technical skill, it will likely take multiple mistakes from Malinin and perfect performances from his competitors for him not to claim the United States' second consecutive men's singles gold medal. But to become just the second skater to win two gold medals in the same Games, Malinin's performance fell short of the lofty expectations."
Ilia Malinin underperformed in the team short program, omitting his signature quad axel and making errors on several jumps. He finished second and earned nine points for the United States. Madison Chock and Evan Bates won the free dance with 133.23 points, sweeping both dance programs and helping the U.S. reach a 44-point team total. The United States leads Japan (39 points) and Italy (37 points) heading into the final day of the team event. Malinin said he is managing his energy to prepare for the individual competition as the favorites prepare for the long programs.
Read at Los Angeles Times
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