Who is the greatest male figure skater of all time?
As the sport continues to push the boundaries of physics, scoring, and art, three names have consistently come up through the first week of the Winter Olympic Games in Milan, Italy.
Two are former Olympic gold medalists, and the third is a 21-year-old prodigy who hasn’t been beaten in over two years, looking for his first on Friday.
Japan’s Yuzuru Hanyu, USA’s Nathan Chen, and America’s new ace, Ilia Malinin.
When it comes to who should be called the “GOAT,” who stands on top of them all — and could Friday’s results change the conversation?
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Who has the most raw skill/technical ability?
Malinin.
End of question.
While unfair to Hanyu and Chen, Malinin is a special breed. He is coached by Olympic parents and has pushed the limits of what the human body can do on the ice.
While people are amazed at his backflips in competitions, those are some of the least impressive moves in Malinin’s arsenal.
He can land seven quadruple jumps in a single free skate program, a feat once thought impossible. Malinin is also the only skater to ever end a quadruple axel in competition, which he might unleash during his final skate on Friday to win the men’s gold.
At 21, he’s already won four-straight national titles and looks like he could double that before an American can get close to him.
Who has the competitive peak?
If we’re talking about a single peak being performed at the highest level in a single Olympics, it’s Chen.
After a nightmare 2018 Olympics in which his short program doomed him to the podium, even after a phenomenal free skate, he came into 2022 on a mission and couldn’t be stopped in Beijing.
Rewriting his narrative, he scored a world-record 113.97 points in his short program before casually strolling to a 20-point victory for his elusive gold medal.
Although Malinin holds his own world record in the free skate for his series of quads and unmatched physicality, he hasn’t achieved it at the Olympics. And until he does, possibly on Friday, then Chen will keep his title of having the strongest peak.
So, who is the GOAT between Chen and Malinin?
Oh, it’s neither.
It’s Hanyu.
While he might not have the physical dominance of Malinin or the best peak like Chen, Hanyu, like time itself, had that consistency and beauty every time he touched the ice.
He won back-to-back Olympic golds in the men’s individual competition, the only male skater to do so in the modern era and the third all-time.
On the technical side, Chen and Malinin have Hanyu beat. Alas, when it comes to the other side of figure skating — artistry, creativity, the emotion — they aren’t in the same discussion as the six-time Japanese champion.
Chen is retired, and Malinin still has time to work his way up to Hanyu’s level in components, but at the moment, it’s not a debate.
When Malinin takes the stage, it’s like a heavyweight boxing fight. Big moves. Loud roars. A spectacle.
But when Hanyu took the stage, it felt like a story being told right before your eyes. Instead of singular moves, you remembered the experience he brought forth.
On Friday, with the entire world watching, Malinin can take his first step in challenging Hanyu’s legend. The rink in Milan will be his canvas: will he paint a performance people remember forever?
Or will he punch through it, taking his own path to becoming the greatest male figure skater to ever live?
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