Chock, Bates lead at Skate America

American ice dancers Madison Chock and Evan Bates along with Japan's Kaori Sakamoto, the women's world champion, took the lead after their short programs in the Grand Prix opener at Skate America on Saturday at Norwood, Mass.

Ilia Malinin wasn't sure whether he would unveil his quad axel, the hardest jump in figure skating. Not only did he try it, the 17-year-old American phenom landed it nearly perfectly.

Malinin's brilliant quad axel, along with four more quads packed into a dynamic free skate Saturday night, was enough to lift him past Kao Miura and to the top step of the podium in his senior Grand Prix debut.