Ilia Malinin Wins Third World Title In Redemptive Free Skate
"Quad God" Ilia Malinin cruised to his third consecutive world figure skating title in Prague on Saturday, returning to the top of the podium after a heartbreaking eighth place at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics.
USA's Ilia Malinin performs during the men's free skating program of the 2026 ISU Figure Skating World Championships in Prague, Czech Republic on March 28, 2026. (Photo by Michal Cizek / AFP via Getty Images) AFP via Getty Images U. S.
figure skater Ilia Malinin cruised to his third consecutive world title in Prague on Saturday, returning to the top of the podium after a heartbreaking eighth-place finish at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics. After his collapse in Milan, Malinin sought a redemption competition at the 2026 ISU World Figure Skating Championships. On Saturday, he achieved his goal.
“My expectation was to leave the long program in one piece, and I think that happened,” Malinin said following his skate. His skate included his signature quadruple Axel, the most difficult skill in figure skating. The American is the first athlete to complete the skill.
With his win, the 21-year-old became the first men’s skater to win three titles since Nathan Chen. Malinin edged out the reigning Olympic silver and bronze medalists, Yuma Kagiyama and Shun Sato of Japan, who repeated their results from Milan-Cortina. For Kagiyama, Saturday’s silver medal marks his fifth individual world medal and fourth silver.
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