Ilia Malinin Bounces Back From Winter Olympics Nightmare With 3rd Straight World Title

Ilia Malinin has reclaimed his position on the top step of the podium.

After a disastrous free skate knocked the Olympic gold-medal favorite off the podium six weeks ago, the “quad god” delivered a flawless performance filled with high jumps and even a backflip to secure his third consecutive world championship title on Saturday.

Malinin expressed his relief and joy after his performance, indicating that he had overcome the mistakes that haunted him during the Olympics.

Malinin’s goal was to simply get through the free skate “in one piece” and he credited the crowd for their support in helping him achieve that.

Skating last after leading the short program, Malinin executed five quadruple jumps but missed his pioneering quad axel, which he didn’t attempt at the Olympics.

Malinin approached the world championships with a fresh mindset, aiming to enjoy every moment on the ice and have fun.

He expressed that he felt no pressure this time and was able to block out expectations and focus on enjoying the competition.

Malinin scored 218.11 in the free skate, totaling 329.40, securing a comfortable lead over his competitors.

Yuma Kagiyama of Japan took the silver medal with Shun Sato, also from Japan, clinching the bronze.