Ilia Malinin Soars to Historic Lead at World Figure Skating Championships

Ilia Malinin ©Pinterest

Ilia Malinin, the reigning world champion dubbed the “Quadgod,” launched his title defense with a breathtaking performance on Thursday night, skating a personal-best short program to take the lead at the 2025 World Figure Skating Championships. With a score of 110.41 points at TD Garden, the 20-year-old American edged out Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama by 3.32 points, setting the stage for a thrilling showdown in Saturday’s free skate.

Malinin’s historic skate—featuring a quadruple flip, a triple Axel, and a quad Lutz-triple toe loop combination—places him among an elite trio, with only Olympic gold medalists Nathan Chen and Yuzuru Hanyu having ever scored higher in a short program. Yet, despite his commanding lead and an eight-event winning streak dating back to December 2023, Malinin admitted to an unusual case of nerves. “Stepping on the ice, I felt more nervous than usual,” he said. “I didn’t understand why… but once the music started playing, I almost fell into that flow state, and it really just took me from there.”

The Virginia native’s technical prowess was on full display, earning him 36.27 points in base value for his jumps—a clear edge over Kagiyama’s 32.2. But the Japanese skater, a silver medalist at both the Olympics and worlds, kept the competition tight with a near-personal-best 107.09. Kagiyama’s clean program included a quad toe-triple toe combination, a quad Salchow, and a triple Axel, bolstered by superior artistry scores (47.06 to Malinin’s 46.20 in program components).

Sitting just a few feet apart at the post-event press conference, the mutual respect between the two was palpable. “It’s not just his jumps,” Kagiyama said through a translator, marveling at Malinin’s growth. “His skating, his artistry, his expression is getting better year by year. So I’m starting to think he’s invincible.” Malinin, grinning and nodding in appreciation, later reflected on their dynamic: “It was very uplifting for me. It really shows how he’s been working and improving. Same as me. We always have this friendly rivalry between each other.”

A Legacy in the Making

Malinin’s performance carries extra weight as he follows a storied American tradition. Every U.S. men’s singles skater who won the world title the year before the Olympics—legends like Dick Button (1951), Scott Hamilton (1983), and Nathan Chen (2021)—went on to claim Olympic gold the next year. With the 2026 Milano-Cortina Games looming, Malinin’s trajectory suggests he could join their ranks.

Last year in Montreal, he overcame a third-place short program finish to deliver a free skate for the ages, landing six clean quads—including his signature quad Axel—and clinching the title by 24.11 points over Kagiyama. That quad Axel, a four-and-a-half-revolution jump he alone has mastered in competition, remains a weapon he typically reserves for the free skate. If he unleashes it again on Saturday (8 p.m. ET, NBC and Peacock), the TD Garden crowd could witness another chapter of history.

The Field and the Stakes

Behind the top two, Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Shaidorov sits third with 94.77 points, more than 15 points off Malinin’s pace. France’s Kevin Aymoz (93.63) and Japan’s Shun Sato (91.26) round out the top five, while American teammates Andrew Torgashev (87.27) and Jason Brown (84.72) hold eighth and 12th, respectively. Brown, a two-time Olympian competing in his seventh worlds, continues to captivate with his artistry despite ongoing boot challenges.

The championships, hosted by the Skating Club of Boston, carry emotional resonance after the loss of six club members in a January plane crash near Washington, D.C. Malinin has dedicated his performance to their memory, adding a personal layer to his pursuit. Beyond sentiment, the event also determines Olympic quotas for 2026, heightening the stakes for every skater.

Kagiyama’s Challenge

Kagiyama, who outscored Malinin in the free skate at December’s Grand Prix Final by 1.6 points (though Malinin won overall thanks to his short program lead), knows he’s up against a formidable foe. His elegant precision and improving consistency make him a genuine threat, but he’ll need a flawless free skate to close the gap. “We always push each other,” Malinin said, acknowledging the rivalry that fuels their excellence.

As the worlds continue Thursday with the pairs’ free skate (6:15 p.m. ET, Peacock; 8 p.m., USA Network), all eyes remain on Malinin. Can he repeat his Montreal magic and solidify his status as figure skating’s unstoppable force? The answer awaits on Saturday night, when the “Quadgod” aims to reign supreme on home ice once more.

By Vitalina Andrushchenko, Staff Writer