Japanese figure skating star Shun Sato delivered one of the finest performances of his career at the 2026 Winter Olympics. However, he remains grounded despite coming tantalizingly close to Ilia Malinin on the scoreboard.
The men’s free skate segment at the Milano-Cortina Games came down to Sato and the reigning world champion on February 9 in a dramatic finale that would decide the team event medals. The Japanese delivered a strong, nearly mistake-free routine featuring three quadruple jumps, earning a personal best of 194.86 points. His performance ultimately helped Japan secure the silver medal in the team event.
Malinin, nicknamed the “Quad God,” followed with a technically demanding program that included five quadruple jumps and a mix of quad-toe and quad-salchow combinations, finishing with 200.03 points to edge out Japan by just one point and secure gold for Team USA.
Despite the narrow margin on the scoreboard, Sato made clear that closing the gap with Malinin, who holds historic jumping milestones in the sport, is still a long-term goal. Shutting down the claims of beating the American to win gold at the Games, he said:
“I definitely felt a lot of pressure skating after Ilia (Malinin). But even so, I think I was able to get a good result, or rather, deliver a performance without any mistakes, was thanks to the support and encouragement from everyone on the team. I’m glad I was able to turn that support into strength,” said Sato.
Calling Malinin his inspiration, he added:
“Well, Ilia (Malinin) wasn’t competing at his best this time. So I feel like I am still really not close. Still, being able to get even a closer to him in terms of score makes me really happy. He’s one of the skaters I look up to, so at this Olympics I want to learn as much as I can from him, take that experience home, and get even a little closer to his level.”
Before this event, Malinin competed in the men’s single skating short program on February 8, where he claimed a second-place finish behind Yuma Kagiyama by scoring 98.00.
Shun Sato Made His Feelings Known About Score Reveal At The Winter Olympics
Japanese figure skating star Shum Sato also spoke about the roller coaster of emotions he experienced after his performance in the men’s free skate segment at the 2026 Winter Olympics. His performance drew praise from teammates and fans alike, and for a brief moment, it appeared Japan might be on the verge of a major upset.
However, when the judges’ marks were finally displayed, reality set in. Reflecting on his emotions, he said:
“First of all, right after I finished skating, I was genuinely happy because I felt I had truly lived up to the team’s support. But once the scores were announced, I felt quite sad that we couldn’t win. I felt happy, but also disappointed,” said Shun Sato.
Ilia Malinin and Shun Sato will next be seen competing at the men’s single skating short program on February 10, 2026.
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