The United States successfully defended its title in the team figure skating event at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, with two-time world champion Ilia Malinin securing the victory for his squad by placing first in the men's free skate.
Heading into the final performance, Japan and the USA were tied with 59 points each. However, Malinin's top score in the men's event earned the Americans 10 points, while Shun Sato of Japan finished second, leaving his compatriots to settle for silver with 58 points.
Host nation Italy claimed the bronze medal with 60 points, following a strong free skate performance by Matteo Rizzo.
Earlier in the day, three-time world champion Kaori Sakamoto took first place in the women's free skate with 148.62 points, ahead of Anastasia Gubanova (Georgia) and Amber Glenn (USA).
The team competition combines the four Olympic figure skating disciplines (men's singles, women's singles, pairs, and ice dance) into a single event. Skaters earn points based on their ranking in each discipline, with gold medals awarded to the team accumulating the most points.
In the first discipline of the day, world champions Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara (Japan) finished first in the pairs event with 155.55 points.
The Olympic figure skating tournament continues tomorrow with the rhythm dance in the ice dance discipline.
Figure Skating, Team Event Standings:
1. USA - 69 points
2. Japan - 68
3. Italy - 60