Overview
- Malinin posted 108.16 points in the men’s short program, five clear of Yuma Kagiyama’s 103.07.
- Judges awarded 14.77 points for his quadruple axel and 22.03 for a quad lutz–triple toe, and he included a reinstated backflip.
- The American is the first skater to complete a quadruple axel in an official competition.
- A Toin University team using Ice Scope tracking reports that greater vertical height, rather than faster spin alone, enables the four-and-a-half–turn axel.
- Asked about attempting a quintuple, Malinin said, “I don’t think so,” with the free skate scheduled for Friday to decide medals.