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<\/a>St. Louis, Mo — Ilia Malinin was breaking in new skates and told reporters he \u201cdecided to play it safe here,\u201d in the free skate at the 2026 U.S. Championships in St. Louis. For Malinin, taking it easy means landing three quadruple jumps \u2013 still more than any other skater in the competition \u2013 and winning by a 57-point margin to take his fourth U.S. title. His technical repertoire puts him far ahead of his competitors, and his victory here and eventual place on the Olympic Team was never a question.<\/p>\nBut the other two spots on the U.S men\u2019s Olympic team were a bit more of a wildcard this week in St. Louis, and the crowd watched as four contenders \u2013 Jason Brown, Tomoki Hiwatshi, Maxim Naumov, and Andrew Torgashev \u2013 duked it out on the ice at the Enterprise Center. When all was said and done, a new shining star had emerged, a beloved skater stumbled, and two skaters seized their Olympic dreams. That new shining star was Jacob Sanchez, who had the performance of the night and finished in fourth place with the pewter medal. Sanchez, a two-time medalist at the junior level at the U.S. Championships, finished seventh last year. Skating last in the second group, and without a quad, Sanchez made the eight triples in his program look effortless and the crowd erupted when he pumped his fist after landing the final jump.<\/p>\n Fan-favorite Brown had perhaps the most unusual and devastating performance of his long career, falling on one triple axel and popping another, before doubling two planned triples. Despite his struggles, the crowd gave him a big ovation at the end of the performance, as he tumbled to eighth place overall.<\/p>\n In the mixed zone after the program, Brown told reporters he felt trained and ready and that it was frustrating to have wobbly legs. He also spoke reflectively of the pride he feels in his career, but did not commit to either retiring or competing again. He has been assigned to compete at both Four Continents and the World Championships. (Editor’s Note: Brown withdrew from Four Continents Jan. 13)<\/p>\n Skating back-to-back in the third and final group, Torgashev and Naumov performed with two distinct styles, but both won over the crowd and the judges. They finished second and third, respectively, and earned their spots on the U.S. Olympic Team.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>In second after the short program, Hiwatashi was plagued by underrotations, getting q calls on two jumps, plus multiple negative grades of execution in his free skate to Vincent Cannady\u2019s cover of the song \u201cCreep.\u201d He ended the night in fifth place.<\/p>\n