American figure skater Ilia Malinin reclaimed the top spot in his sport by capturing his third world championship title on Saturday, overcoming the setback of an eighth-place finish at last month’s Winter Olympics. The 21-year-old Malinin, competing in Prague, delivered a commanding performance with a free program featuring five quadruple jumps, earning 218.11 points and a total score of 329.40.
Malinin expressed gratitude for the crowd’s support, noting their encouragement throughout his routine. He aimed simply to complete his long program cleanly and succeeded in doing so, a significant improvement from his Olympic performance.
Meanwhile, French duo Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron added their first world ice dance title to their recent Olympic gold, concluding a remarkable debut season. They led after the short dance and scored 138.07 points for their free dance set to the soundtrack of the film “The Whale,” finishing with an overall score of 230.81.
Japanese skater Yuma Kagiyama, who took silver at the Olympics, rose from sixth place after the short program to secure second place with 306.67 points, delivering an elegant free skate to Puccini’s Turandot. His compatriot Shun Sato, the bronze medalist in Milan, finished third with 288.54 points following his performance to Stravinsky’s Firebird. Notably, Mikhail Shaidorov of Kazakhstan, the reigning Olympic champion from Milan, did not participate in Prague.
Malinin entered the final segment at Prague’s O2 Arena with a strong lead, having set a personal best of 111.29 points in the short program, placing him over nine points ahead of his competitors. His free program, titled “The Voice” and featuring his own voiceover, did not match his world-record 238.24 score from the Grand Prix Final in December, where he executed seven quadruple jumps, including the only quad Axel landed in competition. However, his performance in Prague marked a nearly 62-point improvement from his Olympic score in Milan.
Despite a triple quad Axel, the jump that caused difficulties during the Olympics, Malinin’s five quadruple jumps were sufficient to reaffirm his status as one of the sport’s most formidable athletes. He described the routine as challenging but credited the audience’s support for helping him persevere.
Fournier Beaudry and Cizeron, who held a six-point advantage after the short dance, captivated the audience with their lyrical free dance, earning high praise for their artistry and connection with the crowd.
With this victory, Malinin becomes the second-youngest American to win three world titles, joining Dick Button, and the youngest man to achieve this feat since Russia’s Alexei Yagudin in 2000. He is also the first skater since Nathan Chen (2018-2021) to secure three consecutive world championships. Given his substantial lead from the short program, Malinin strategically reduced the number of quadruple jumps in his long program compared to his Grand Prix Final performance, where he made history by landing seven quads of different types. None of the other 23 male competitors attempted more than three quads.
Malinin’s program component scores, which assess presentation, skating skills, and choreography, were particularly impressive. He received no score below 9.0 and earned five perfect 10.0 marks for presentation, totaling 95.04 points—nearly three points higher than his previous personal best in a long program.
Meanwhile, Andrew Torgashev delivered a solid performance, finishing 10th and helping the United States retain its three men’s spots for the next world championships. This placement was crucial, as the combined rankings of the top two U.S. skaters needed to total 13 or fewer. Torgashev’s result marked a significant improvement over his past world finishes, as well as his 12th-place Olympic result. He acknowledged that consistency rather than spectacular performances was key to contributing to the team’s success.
Additionally, Jacob Sanchez’s 12th-place finish in his world debut would have been sufficient to maintain the three spots, underscoring the advantage of having a strong competitor like Malinin on the team.
