American Skater Malinin Rebounds From Olympic Disappointment to Lead Worlds

American figure skater Ilia Malinin bounced back from his disappointing eighth-place Olympic finish to take the lead at the World Championships in Prague. The 21-year-old "Quad God" scored a personal best 111.29 points and is positioned to win his third consecutive world title.

PRAGUE, March 26 – American figure skater Ilia Malinin put his Olympic disappointment behind him Thursday, taking command of the men’s competition after the short program at the World Championships, just one month following his surprising eighth-place showing in Milan.

The 21-year-old athlete, nicknamed the “Quad God,” delivered a spectacular performance that began with an impressive quadruple flip, continued with a quadruple Lutz, and concluded with a crowd-pleasing backflip that earned him a personal-best score of 111.29 points, positioning him well for what could be his third consecutive world championship.

France’s Adam Siao Him Fa sits in second place heading into Saturday’s free skate with 101.85 points, while Estonia’s Aleksandr Selevko holds an unexpected third position at 96.49 points.

Notably absent from the world championships is Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Shaidorov, who claimed the surprising Olympic gold medal in Milan.

Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama, who earned Olympic silver, found himself in sixth place Thursday following a tumble during his triple Axel attempt.

Malinin entered this competition seeking to redeem himself after his Olympic performance collapsed due to what he described as overwhelming pressure and the enormity of the occasion.

Despite being the heavy favorite for Olympic gold in Milan, he buckled under intense expectations, with his free program falling apart in dramatic fashion.

Thursday’s short program score placed Malinin just below the world record of 113.97 points established by fellow American Nathan Chen in 2022.

The pairs free program competition is set to take place later Thursday.