Ilia Malinin, the 19-year-old figure skater from Vienna, fell to the ice in disbelief as the crowd cheered when he completed the free skate that won him his first world title and broke a world record.
At the World Figure Skating Championships in Montreal on Saturday, the skater scored 227.79 in the free program, which he performed to the soundtrack to Succession. In the skate, he landed six quad jumps, including the quad axel for which he’s famous. His total score, including the score from the short program on March 21, was 333.76.
“Feeling incredibly grateful for this career moment,” Malinin said in an Instagram post. “Your support means everything! Hard work pays off!”
The former world record for the free skate was held by American Nathan Chen, who scored 224.92 in 2019.
Malinin dethroned two-time defending world champion Shoma Uno of Japan, who fell to fourth place at 280.85 after missing two quad jumps.
Malinin lives in Vienna, trains in Reston, and is a student at George Mason University. He earned the nickname “Quad God” when he became the first skater to land a quadruple axel in competition at the 2022 U.S. International Figure Skating Classic.
Feature image of Ilia Malinin after he breaks the world record courtesy NBC Sports/YouTube
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