The Athletic has live coverage of men’s figure skating free skate final at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Ilia Malinin — figure skating’s “Quad God” and a breakout star of the Olympics — is one successful skate away from winning an individual gold medal for the United States.
Thanks to Alex Ovechkin, the skate laces Malinin has been wearing in Italy could closely resemble his medal.
Malinin, a 21-year-old native of Fairfax County, Va., was gifted a pair of bright yellow laces by Ovechkin, the Washington Capitals star who holds the NHL record for most goals all time.
Malinin told reporters in Italy before the Olympics that he planned to wear the laces throughout the competition, and they’ve been seen in training sessions (Malinin’s laces are not visible when he skates in competition). Malinin, in first place after the men’s short program, will skate for gold on Friday.
Malinin grew up a short drive from the Capitals’ practice facility in Arlington, Va., which also serves as a home rink of sorts for local figure skaters. He’s a Capitals fan, naturally, and his agent, Ari Zakarian, has been a friend of Ovechkin’s for about 15 years, according to a Capitals spokesperson. Ovechkin has worn yellow laces throughout his NHL career.
Ovechkin also struck up a friendship with his countryman, Russian two-time gold medalist Evgeni Plushenko — also a Zakarian client — during Plushenko’s Olympic prime nearly two decades ago.
“It’s such an honor,” Malinin told the NBC affiliate in Washington, D.C., in an interview posted Feb. 3. “And I’m so grateful for his support.”
Ovechkin is known for swapping gear with other NHL players and collecting jerseys, pucks and sticks, partially for a museum he plans to open in Russia after his playing career ends. Perhaps Malinin will return the favor and add some Olympic flavor.
Malinin secured team gold for the U.S. with a first-place score of 200.03 during his free skate on Feb. 8, though his performance fell well short of a personal best. He settled into place in time for the individual competition on Tuesday, opening with a short program score of 108.16 that featured his trademark explosiveness and put himself into position, barring a major setback, to clinch gold on Friday at Milano Ice Skating Arena.
“Being the favorite is one thing,” Malinin told reporters after the short program. “But actually getting it done and doing it under pressure and really just having the skate of your life to earn that medal is another thing.
“And I think I don’t want to get too ahead of myself and say that you know it’s guaranteed that I’m getting that gold medal. Because, of course, I still have to put in that work for that long program. So I’m not going to take that for granted.”
