American figure skater Ilia Malinin arrives at the Grand Prix Final in Japan this week with a chance to underline why he is the man to beat heading into the Milano-Cortina Olympics. The 21-year-old, already twice world champion, headlines the men's field in Nagoya, where six skaters or teams in each of the four disciplines -- men, women, pairs, ice dance -- compete in the last major international event ahead of February's Games.

Malinin, the self-proclaimed "Quad God" for his unmatched arsenal of quadruple jumps, is aiming for a three-peat at the Final after his dominant performances at the Grand Prix de France and Skate Canada International. He shattered his own free program world record at Skate Canada without even attempting his quadruple Axel, a jump only he has ever landed in competi

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