American figure skating sensation Ilia Malinin successfully defended his world championship title on Saturday with a commanding performance at the TD Garden in Boston. The 20-year-old reaffirmed his status as the world’s best figure skater, delivering a breathtaking free skate that left the crowd in awe.
Malinin dazzled the audience with six quadruple jumps set to I’m Not a Vampire by Falling In Reverse, sealing his victory with a season-best total score of 318.56 points—more than 31 points ahead of silver medalist Mikhail Shaidorov. The routine was met with a standing ovation from the packed arena, confirming his dominance in the sport.
Despite his triumph, Malinin, known for his perfectionist approach, expressed a desire for further improvement. He narrowly missed landing a planned seventh quadruple jump, a detail that left him hungry for refinement.
“The home crowd was really inspiring for me, and I am glad that I was able to work out the whole season to get to this moment,” Malinin said after his victory. “It means a lot to me, and I really hope that in future seasons, I can improve and work on the things that I didn’t accomplish today.”
Entering the free skate with a slight lead from the short program, Malinin’s dominance turned the competition into a mere formality. His performance was highlighted by the mythical quad axel—a jump only he has ever landed in competition—and a stunning one-footed backflip, a rare feat in modern figure skating.
His victory solidifies his position as the overwhelming favorite for gold at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
“I’ll spend the offseason trying to master this to make sure that I can be as efficient as I can because for me, I think this is my perfect layout for the Olympics,” Malinin stated. “I really want it to be something that I can complete effortlessly and efficiently with the rest of the components as well.”
Malinin’s gold medal capped off a historic world championships for Team USA. Alysa Liu became the first American woman in 19 years to win the women’s world title, while Madison Chock and Evan Bates successfully defended their ice dance crown. The U.S. team’s dominance was evident, securing three out of the four available gold medals at the championships—a feat never before achieved in the nation’s history.
With Malinin leading the charge, U.S. figure skating enters a new era of global supremacy, setting high expectations for the upcoming Olympic cycle.
