Redemption Takes Center Stage At The 2026 Figure Skating World Championships
Can Ilia Malinin jump to redemption in Prague? Our 2026 World Figure Skating Championships guide covers how to watch, major athlete withdrawals and the top contenders seeking a podium finish.
MILAN, ITALY - FEBRUARY 07: Ilia Malinin of Team United States competes in Men's Single Skating - Short Program Team Event on day one of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Ice Skating Arena on February 07, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Joosep Martinson/Getty Images) Getty Images Just like that, figure skating is back . Only a month after Ilia Malinin finished his final skate at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympic Games, figure skating returns to the major international stage.
The 2026 ISU Figure Skating World Championships begin on Wednesday, March 25, in Prague, Czechia, and will feature many of the top skaters who dazzled worldwide viewers in Milan-Cortina. Just as the event features multiple Olympic medalists, it also features a handful of skaters who left Milan-Cortina heartbroken. Olympic Champions Out, Redemptive Skaters In In the women’s singles event, the 2026 Olympic champion Alysa Liu announced her withdrawal from the competition in early March, citing recovery from the Olympic Games and professional opportunities.
Though the defending Olympic gold medalist and reigning world champion is out of the equation, the women’s event remains fiercely competitive. After earning a disappointing silver medal behind Liu in Milan-Cortina, Japanese skater Kaori Sakamoto looks to redeem her Olympic performance and return to the top of the world stage. The Prague competition marks her final appearance at a world championship for the 25-year-old veteran skater.
Carrying on from Milan-Cortina, Japan’s arsenal is arguably the deepest, with Olympic bronze medalist Ami Nakai and Olympic fourth-place finisher Mone Chiba taking the ice again in Prague. Japan's Ami Nakai competes in the figure skating women's single free skating final during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at Milano Ice Skating Arena in Milan on February 19, 2026. (Photo by Gabriel BOUYS / AFP via Getty Images) AFP via Getty Images For the American women, Olympic team gold medalist Amber Glenn is the United States’ best hope for a medal.
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