Malinin keeps USA golden in Olympic figure skating team event
Malinin led the men's free skating final in Milan with Japan taking silver and host nation Italy claiming bronze after three days of competition.
The United States finished with 69 points with Japan scoring 68 and Italy medalling for the first time in the team event with 60.
Going into the final round, the Japanese and the Americans had been neck and neck on 59 points, but Japan were ahead having won more routines.
The title came down to Olympic newcomer Malinin, a two-time world champion at 21, who has been unbeaten in competition in over two years.
Kaori Sakamoto's stunning women's free skate had given Japan the edge after Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara hit their career-best pairs free skating performance.
American champion Amber Glenn was third best in the women's free skate after the 26-year-old's errors saw her finish ten points behind Sakamoto -- putting heavy responsibility on Malinin's shoulders.
"I feel guilty, I am sorry that I put this kind of pressure on Ilia," said Glenn, the oldest US women's singles skater to compete in an Olympics in 98 years.
Malinin had finished second behind Japan's Yuma Kagiyama in Saturday's men's short programme.
Kagiyama, the Beijing Olympic individual silver medallist, did not compete in the free skate with Olympic newcomer Sato, 22, representing Japan instead.
Malinin hit five quadruple jumps and although the "Quad God" did not deliver the first ever quad axel jump in Olympic competition as he had promised, his routine had the crowd roaring.
He scored 200.03 to push Sato into second place with 194.86.
However the performance was not without errors as he stumbled on some landings with the score far from his personal best 238.24.
Japan had outscored the Americans on five of the eight routines, leading the ways in pairs and women's events.
In the end, world champion ice dancers Madison Chock and Evan Bates made the difference with the husband-and-wife team winning both of their programmes.
"We're being led by Evan and Maddy, who are veterans, and I like to call them Mr. and Mrs. America. They are absolutely incredible people and incredible athletes," said Glenn.
The United States were awarded the title at the 2022 Beijing Winter Games after Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva was handed a doping ban.
Russia had won the team title but were demoted to bronze when Valieva's points were deducted. Japan took silver in Beijing.