When Does Ilia Malinin Skate? Men’s Final Time Schedule for the Olympics 2026 Gold
The 2026 Winter Olympics are in full swing, and since the festivities kicked off on February 6, there have been plenty of Americans grabbing headlines. Chloe Kim won a silver medal in the women’s snowboarding halfpipe event, competing after suffering a shoulder injury only a month prior. Speed skater Erin Jackson continues to grab attention, with fans watching to see if she can again walk away with a gold medal. Then there’s the unfortunate story of Lindsey Vonn, who experienced a horrific crash in her return to the Games. And among this list of repeat Olympians is newcomer, Ilia Malinin.
The 21-year-old men’s figure skater is a force to be reckoned with on the ice. Although he gave himself the nickname “Quad God,” many fans of the sport have come to see it as fitting, considering he’s the first person in a competition to land a quadruple axel (that’s 4 and ½ rotations in the air, arguably the most difficult tricks in skating).
It’s also worth noting that with four US Championship gold medals and two World golds, there are a lot of expectations for Malinin to complete the collection with a gold medal in the Men's Figure Skating event. So will those expectations be met today, February 13?
What Time Does Ilia Malinin Compete in the Men's Figure Skating Final?
Photo by Gabriel BOUYS / AFP via Getty Images
The Men’s Free Skate Final kicks off at 1 pm ET with Groups 1 and 2, and can be viewed on the USA Network on cable or on Peacock. Groups 3 and 4 are planned to start skating around 3 pm ET, and those performances can be viewed on NBC and Peacock. Malinin is in Group 4. So while we don’t have an exact time, be on the lookout for Malinin to perform anywhere between 3 and 5 pm.
How Does Ilia Malinin Look Going into the Men’s Final?
Heading into the competition, Malinin is in good shape to win the gold medal in the event. He sits on top of the leader board, 5.09 points ahead of his nearest competition, Japan's Yuma Kagiyama. So let’s hope the young star sticks all of his landings. By the way, Kagiyama and Malinin are both competing in Group 4.