The men's singles figure skating event kicked off in style at the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympic Games on Tuesday afternoon, with an incredible standard across the event. 

But the day belonged to U.S. phenom, Ilia Malinin. Skating second-to-last, Malinin earned a solid score of 108.16. Undefeated since 2023, Malinin's “Lost Crown” program unfolded with control, highlighted by clean jumping passes and composed transitions that let the performance breathe. It wasn’t about chasing history on Tuesday, rather setting a tone, and Malinin did just that, skating with measured confidence to place himself firmly in the top position heading into the free skate.

In the Olympic figure skating team event, Malinin had shown some uncharacteristic cracks, and said that his performance in the short program was much more about building a solid foundation.

"I definitely took a different approach than in the team event," Ilia Malinin said. "It really just felt like there was so much pressure, and I was so hyped up – so excited to skate out there – and it really just came back and bit me. So, coming to this short program in the individual, I wanted to take this a little more slowly, a little more calm, and just push the autopilot button see what happens."

The two-time reigning world champion entered his first Olympics riding a 14-competition winning streak and owning the highest short program score in history. Known as the sport’s “Quad God,” Malinin remains the only skater to land a quad Axel in competition and recently made history by completing a seven-quad free skate at the Grand Prix Final. 

His short program, “The Lost Crown,” leans into a warrior-like intensity, and Malinin has said the program is about personal growth and development, something he certainly displayed on Olympic ice this week.

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Behind him, Yuma Kagiyama delivered one of the most refined short programs of the night, leaning into musicality and edge quality and mostly secure technical elements — albeit with one error, stepping out of his triple Axel — for 103.07 points. The Olympic silver medalist looked relaxed from the opening notes of his "I Wish" program, allowing his rhythm-driven choreography to build naturally as the program progressed. Kagiyama’s skate highlighted why he remains Malinin’s closest challenger, combining polish and poise with the kind of execution that keeps medal hopes very much alive.

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Adam Siao Him Fa turned in what may have been the finest short program of his career, delivering a performance that balanced control with intent from the opening pose to the final step. Skating with clarity and conviction, the Frenchman matched his distinctive artistry with secure technical execution earning a personal best 102.55 points. In a season marked by fluctuations, this was Siao Him Fa at his most complete putting himself squarely back into the Olympic conversation with a skate that felt both assured and earned.

In 4th place, Daniel Grassl is fresh off earning an Olympic bronze medal in the figure skating team event with Team Italy late last week. He is the six-time Italian champion and had a strong start to his season, including a 4th place finish at the Grand Prix Final. A disappointing 13th place finish at the European Championships in January stalled his momentum. 

He seemed to rebound in the team event here at the Milano Ice Skating Arena, and continued a strong Olympic showing, with huge jumps and a committed performance to "Tango per la Liberta" in the men's short program in front of a home crowd.

Mikhail Shaidorov, 2025 world silver medalist rounded out the top five with his short program to music from the movie, "Dune." He showed he is a talent to watch, with an impressive array of jumps and a high program component score giving him 92.94 total.

Beyond Malinin’s commanding lead, the Americans put two more skaters safely into the free skate.

Skating to Scorpions' "Maybe I Maybe You," Andrew Torgashev completed one of the best outings of his career today starting with a gorgeous quad toe-loop jump. After his final jumping pass came off without a hitch, he smiled broadly to the end, giving every ounce of energy to his step-sequence and final spin. 

The judges agreed and he earned a personal best score of 88.94 points for the lead so far.

"I chose to embrace the rock and roll of my program," Torgashev said after skating. "My choreographer, Shae Lynn Bourne, she's instilled a certain type of freedom to my skating again. So, I just tried to hear her voice as I'm skating and enjoy the moment."

Skating early in the event, the 2026 U.S. bronze medalist, Maxim Naumov, skated in his Olympic debut, after years of steady persistence on the U.S. circuit. He earned his spot alongside Ilia Malinin and Andrew Torgashev following a breakthrough domestic season, completing a trio that also competed together at the 2020 World Junior Championships.

His presence on Team USA carries particular weight after losing his parents – also his coaches – when flight 5243 collided with a helicopter over the Potomac in Washington DC, while returning home from the 2025 national championships.

Naumov opened his short program with a quad salchow, skating to "Nocturne No. 20" by Frederic Chopin. It's a jump that's given him trouble in the past, but he landed it with ease today. Overall, it was the skate he hoped for, elegant, powerful and emotional, and he finished with tears in his eyes before jumping up and down with joy.

He held up a photo of his parents in the Kiss and Cry, as he received 85.65 points for his skate, a season's best.