After missing the podium at the Winter Olympics, Ilia Malinin has made a comeback at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships. The Vienna native earned his third consecutive world championship title this weekend.
Malinin scored 111.29 in the men’s singles short program and 218.11 in the free skate, for a total score of 329.4. He beat runner-up Yuma Kagiyama’s score by 22.73 points.
Malinin’s free skate included moves like a quad flip, a triple Axel, a quad Lutz, and his signature backflip. He did not attempt the quadruple Axel, the move behind his nickname of “Quad God.”
“It feels really different, because going into this competition I had no expectations. I wanted to just come out here, enjoy the atmosphere and enjoy the environment of the figure skating world,” Malinin said.
Additional Awards
Malinin also left the championships with a few new awards. He was honored with the International Skating Union’s first-ever Trailblazer on the Ice award.
According to a news release from the ISU, the organization was inspired to create the award because “Malinin’s relentless pursuit of both technical and artistic innovation has elevated the sport to new heights.”
In particular, the award recognizes his “history-making program” at the ISU Grand Prix Final in December 2025, when he landed seven quadruple jumps.
He also won the best costume award at the world championships.
Feature image of Malinin at ISU Grand Prix Final (Courtesy Xinhua/Yue Chenxing)
