MILAN — The red, white and blue with disappointment.
That has largely been the theme of the United States’ first week of the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics, with star figure skater and undisputed gold medal favorite Ilia Malinin serving as the latest American to fall short of lofty expectations in Italy on Friday.
“I was not expecting that,” said Malinin, who fought back tears after completing a mistake-filled free skate and having to accept eighth place. “I felt going into this competition I was so ready. I just felt ready going on that ice. I think maybe that might have been the reason is I was too confident it was going to go well.”
Team USA — and its largest-ever contingent of 232 athletes — is still in third place in the Olympic medal race, trailing only Italy and Norway. The latter two countries are tied for the most medals with 18, while Norway is in the lead with eight golds.
