Reigning champion Ilia Malinin of U.S. leaps to early lead at figure skating worlds in Boston
Reigning world champion Ilia Malinin put on a show-stopping performance on Thursday night at the world figure skating championships in Boston. The 20-year-old American skater delivered a season-best short program, scoring 110.41 points with a pair of quads and a brilliant triple axel. This performance gave him a slim lead over Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama in what is shaping up to be a thrilling battle for this year’s title.
Malinin’s score was just over three points off the world record set by Nathan Chen at the 2022 Winter Olympics. Despite the pressure of being the favorite to succeed Chen at the upcoming Winter Games, Malinin exuded confidence and swagger on the ice, captivating the TD Garden crowd with his performance set to “Running” by American rapper NF.
Following Malinin, Kagiyama delivered a resplendent program that earned him a score of 107.09, just shy of his career-best. Mikhail Shaidorov of Kazakhstan currently sits in third place with 94.77 points heading into the free skate on Saturday night.
In a separate event, Canada’s Roman Sadovsky performed a solid skate to “Unconscious” by Charlie Winston, earning a score of 80.25 and ranking 15th after the short program. Sadovsky expressed positivity about his experience and the support from the crowd, noting the energy and presence of Canadian flags in the arena.
The world championships also saw the pairs competition, with Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara of Japan leading after the short program. Defending champions Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps of Canada faced challenges in their performance, landing them in seventh place with 67.32 points.
As the competition continues, the focus shifts to securing spots for the upcoming Milano-Cortina Olympics. Each country’s placements at the world championships will determine the number of entries they receive for the Winter Games. For the U.S., skaters like Andrew Torgashev and Jason Brown will need strong performances in the free skate to secure additional spots alongside Malinin.
Despite facing setbacks this season, Brown remains optimistic and proud of his perseverance. Dealing with boot issues that forced him to withdraw from the U.S. championships, Brown finally resolved his equipment concerns and delivered a solid performance in Boston.
The world championships in Boston promise more excitement and intense competition as skaters vie for top honors and Olympic qualification. Stay tuned for the thrilling conclusion of the competition and the crowning of the next world champions.
