PRAGUE - Ilia Malinin reclaimed dominance in men’s figure skating, capturing his third world title Saturday after a disappointing eighth-place finish at the Olympics.
Malinin delivered a free skate featuring five quadruple jumps, scoring 218.11 points and totaling 329.40 for the event. His routine lacked the clean execution of his record-setting performance at December’s Grand Prix Final, where he landed seven quads including a rare quad Axel.
Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama rose from sixth to claim silver with 306.67 points, skating cleanly to Puccini’s Turandot. Compatriot Shun Sato secured bronze with 288.54.
Despite tripling the quad Axel that derailed his Olympic hopes, Malinin reaffirmed his status as the sport’s top contender.