MILAN (AP) — U.S. figure skater Ilia Malinin made his Olympic debut at the Milan Cortina games Saturday.
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The 21-year-old Virginia native finished second in the short program with a score of 98.00 during the team event.
“I felt really good. I felt really confident and I’m grateful to be here,” Malinin told NBC News after competing. “It’s an honor to be here. I’ve spent so much time and dedication just to get to this point. To have this one event down is awesome.”
Malinin is nicknamed the “Quad God” for his ability to perform a 4 1/2-rotation jump, known as a quadruple axel, NBC says. He’s the only skater in history to land the maneuver in competition.
Last month, Malinin visited the Pittsburgh area to meet with fans and show off his skills on the ice, alongside Paralympic sled hockey forward Declan Farmer.
Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama finished first in the short program with a score of 108.67.
Japan trails the US in the team event by a point. The team event ends Sunday with the pairs, women’s and men’s free skates, NBC says.
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