[VIDEO] The Night the Ice Felt Too Small for What Ilia Malinin Brought to It Before more than 5,000 stunned spectators in Angers

With just 64 days until the start of the 2026 Olympic Winter Games, the world’s best figure skaters opened the Grand Prix Final at IG Arena in Nagoya, Japan, marking the final major global test before Milan Cortina 2026. The Americans came out strong, highlighted by a podium-ready position for Ilia Malinin in the men’s event and a commanding rhythm dance for Madison Chock and Evan Bates, as Japan surged in the men’s field and pairs remained a razor-thin battle from top to bottom.

U.S. phenom Malinin, the heavy favorite to chase a landmark third straight Grand Prix Final title, sits third with 94.05 — less than five points off second — after a step out of his quad Axel. All day in practice the 21-year-old had been landing a history-making quadruple Axel triple toe combination, however, under the pressure of competition he was unable to hold on. The reigning world champion still impressed with his overall quality, despite slightly seeming more shaky than he has appeared in recent seasons, remaining firmly in contention heading into the free skate, where his arsenal of quads including another quad Axel, could swing the standings back in his favor.