{"id":1971,"date":"2025-03-28T15:14:45","date_gmt":"2025-03-28T12:14:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vsaworld.com\/blog\/?p=1971"},"modified":"2025-03-28T15:14:46","modified_gmt":"2025-03-28T12:14:46","slug":"ilia-malinin-soars-to-historic-lead-at-world-figure-skating-championships","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vsaworld.com\/blog\/ilia-malinin-soars-to-historic-lead-at-world-figure-skating-championships\/","title":{"rendered":"Ilia Malinin Soars to Historic Lead at World Figure Skating Championships"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ilia Malinin, the reigning world champion dubbed the \u201cQuadgod,\u201d launched his title defense with a breathtaking performance on Thursday night, skating a personal-best short program<\/a> 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\u2019s Yuma Kagiyama by 3.32 points, setting the stage for a thrilling showdown in Saturday\u2019s free skate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Malinin\u2019s historic skate\u2014featuring a quadruple flip, a triple Axel, and a quad Lutz-triple toe loop combination\u2014places 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. \u201cStepping on the ice, I felt more nervous than usual,\u201d he said. \u201cI didn\u2019t understand why\u2026 but once the music started playing, I almost fell into that flow state, and it really just took me from there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Virginia native\u2019s technical prowess was on full display, earning him 36.27 points in base value for his jumps\u2014a clear edge over Kagiyama\u2019s 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\u2019s 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\u2019s 46.20 in program components).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sitting just a few feet apart at the post-event press conference, the mutual respect between the two was palpable. \u201cIt\u2019s not just his jumps,\u201d Kagiyama said through a translator, marveling at Malinin\u2019s growth. \u201cHis skating, his artistry, his expression is getting better year by year. So I\u2019m starting to think he\u2019s invincible.\u201d Malinin, grinning and nodding in appreciation, later reflected on their dynamic: \u201cIt was very uplifting for me. It really shows how he\u2019s been working and improving. Same as me. We always have this friendly rivalry between each other.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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