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It looks like Ilia Malinin, the “Quad God,” has done a good job of moving on from her Olympic heartbreak.
Last month, the 21-year-old Team USA star was the overwhelming favorite to take home the gold in the men’s free skate. But the unthinkable happened when he crashed twice and dropped all the way to eighth place.
However, he has begun to avenge the loss and is now a three-time world champion.
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Ilia Malinin of the United States competes during the men’s free skate at the World Figure Skating Championships in Prague, Czech Republic, Saturday, March 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
Malinin shouted and punched the air in relief after finishing a skate that showed he had achieved his wish to “move on” from the Olympics after days of being haunted by his mistakes.
Malinin scored 218.11 in the free skate for a total of 329.40, well ahead of silver medalist Yuma Kagiyama of Japan on 306.67. Another Japanese skater, Shun Sato, was third at 288.54.
Speaking to NBC afterward, Malinin was blunt about his Olympic performance, saying simply, “I blew it,” and saying it was a definite mental hurdle from start to finish.
“I just had so many thoughts and memories flooding in right before I got into my starting position and almost, I think it overwhelmed me a little bit. I’ve been through a lot in my life, a lot of bad and good experiences,” Malinin told reporters.
Gold medalist Ilia Malinin of the United States waves to the crowd after the medal ceremony after the men’s free skating at the World Figure Skating Championships in Prague, Czech Republic, Saturday, March 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
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“So, I just feel like it’s the pressure of being hopeful for the Olympic gold medal in particular. It was just something I can’t control now. The pressure of the Olympics, it’s really something else and I think not a lot of people understand that. They only understand that from the inside and going into this competition, especially today, I felt really confident, really good,” he added. “But it really just happened so fast that I didn’t have time to process it.”
But with some pressure, Malinin was able to show who he really is on the ice.
Gold medalist Ilia Malinin of the United States waves before the medal ceremony after the men’s free skating at the World Figure Skating Championships in Prague, Czech Republic, Saturday, March 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
Malinin becomes the first skater to win three consecutive men’s world championships since American Nathan Chen, who accomplished the feat in 2018, 2019 and 2021 after the 2020 event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
