U.S. Figure Skating Championships will determine who's going to the Olympics

"While the team will be officially announced on Sunday, there's one spot that's almost certain: 22-year-old reigning world champion Ilia "Quad God" Malinin. Malinin has been undefeated in every major competition since 2023. He's the only skater to complete a quadruple axel a jump once thought to be physically impossible, until Malinin did it. Malinin landed a quadruple flip and a quadruple lutz-triple toe loop combination in his short program Thursday night for a total of 115.10 points."

"That gave him a decisive 25-point lead over Tomoki Hiwatashi, who sits in second place with 89.26.Hiwatashi landed a slightly under-rotated quadruple toe loop in a crowd-favorite performance to Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Free Bird." He said the crowd's energy kept him motivated. "I hear them cheering me on, and being out there is very fun for me," he said. "I hope they enjoy it as much as I do.""

"He's revisiting his breakout 2014 "Riverdance" short program, which earned him a spot on the 2014 Sochi Olympic team at just 19 years old. Brown's re-imagined Riverdance program was a hit with the crowd at the Enterprise Center on Thursday night, with a standing ovation before he finished his program with a cartwheel out of his combination spin. "Every time I perform this program, it's truly like a love note to the audience," said Brown"

The U.S. Figure Skating Championships are being held in St. Louis, Missouri, as the final U.S. qualifier for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina. Ilia Malinin, 22, the reigning world champion, delivered record-setting elements including the quadruple axel, a quadruple flip, and a quadruple lutz-triple toe combination, scoring 115.10 in the short and taking a sizable lead. Tomoki Hiwatashi sits second after a crowd-pleasing program to Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Free Bird," citing arena energy as motivation. Jason Brown, 31, scored closely behind and revived his 2014 "Riverdance" short program, earning strong audience reaction and aiming for a third Olympic berth.

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