Importance Score: 60 / 100 🔵
Malinin Reigns Supreme at World Figure Skating Championships
Boston witnessed figure skating history as Ilia Malinin, celebrated as the “Quad God” and a prodigious innovator in the sport, solidified his status as the world’s preeminent skater. Before an enthusiastic audience at TD Garden on Saturday evening, Malinin delivered a performance for the ages, reaffirming his position at the pinnacle of men’s figure skating.
Dominant Free Skate Secures Back-to-Back Titles
The 20-year-old American prodigy captivated spectators with an extraordinary free skate program at the world figure skating championships, successfully landing six quadruple jumps to seize his second consecutive world championship. His season’s best score of 318.56 points propelled him to a commanding lead of 31.09 points over Mikhail Shaidorov of Kazakhstan. Shaidorov earned the silver medal with a personal best performance, while Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama, despite a routine marred by errors, secured the bronze, falling from his second-place standing.
US Skaters Achieve Historic Gold Medal Haul
Malinin’s victory culminated in a landmark weekend for the United States, as they achieved an unprecedented feat by winning three out of the four available gold medals at the prestigious competition. He joined fellow American champions Alysa Liu, the newly crowned women’s champion, and ice dance duo Madison Chock and Evan Bates on the top step of the podium. This remarkable display of American dominance sends a clear message of intent as the figure skating world looks ahead to the Winter Olympics in Milan next year.
Quad Axel and Six Quads Highlight Program
Skating to “I’m Not a Vampire” by Falling in Reverse, an American post-metalcore band, Malinin commenced his program with a flawless quadruple flip. He then executed the highly challenging quad Axel – a 4.5 revolution jump previously considered unattainable by most athletes. He continued his quad dominance by adding a quad loop, quad Lutz, quad toe, and quad Salchow, the latter two performed in combination. A minor error on a Lutz attempt was the only impediment to an attempt at a full complement of seven quads.
Quad Axel Mastery
Following Saturday’s competition, the quad Axel has only been successfully landed 15 times in competitive settings. Notably, all 15 successful attempts belong to Malinin, who first achieved this feat at the US Classic two years prior at the age of 17.
Standing Ovation and Historic Victory Margin
Malinin’s exceptional performance garnered a standing ovation from the sold-out TD Garden crowd. This victory extends his winning streak to nine consecutive events, dating back to December 2023. His margin of victory stands as the second-largest in men’s championship history under the modern scoring system, surpassed only by Nathan Chen’s 47.63-point victory in 2018.
Olympic Gold Contender
Assuming he remains injury-free, Malinin is widely considered the overwhelming favorite to win Olympic gold in Milan in ten months’ time.
Malinin’s Background and Rise to Prominence
Malinin, the son of former Olympians from Uzbekistan who relocated to northern Virginia, faced controversy when he was not selected for the US Olympic team in 2022, despite a second-place finish at nationals. Since landing the first quad Axel in competition later that year, he has redefined the technical boundaries of figure skating, consistently pushing the limits of what is possible.
Shaidorov and Kagiyama Complete Medalists
Shaidorov’s personal best free skate, featuring four clean quadruple jumps to a medley of “Moonlight Sonata” and “Take On Me,” earned Kazakhstan’s first-ever world medal in figure skating. The 20-year-old skater, who also won the Four Continents Championships in February, surpassed Kagiyama after the Japanese skater struggled with jump landings.
Kagiyama Takes Bronze After Errors
Kagiyama, the reigning Olympic silver medalist and a three-time world silver medalist, began the free skate only 3.32 points behind Malinin. However, falls on his Salchow and a step-out on the triple Axel during his “Flamenco” program curtailed his gold medal aspirations. His score of 278.19 secured him the bronze medal, marking his fourth major international medal.
Other American Skaters
Among the other American competitors, Jason Brown delivered a polished and expressive program, earning him eighth place and a standing ovation. Andrew Torgashev finished in 22nd place after a challenging free skate. Collectively, their performances ensured that Team USA will send the maximum allocation of three men’s skaters to the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Tribute to Skating Community
While the championship’s final segment was exhilarating, a somber undercurrent of remembrance was also present. On Wednesday evening, TD Garden paused for a 20-minute tribute honoring the 28 members of the skating community who tragically perished in the plane crash near Washington D.C. in January. Many of the victims, including young skaters, coaches, and parents, were returning from a national development camp. Several of those lost had trained at Malinin’s home rink in Virginia.