Ilia Malinin, the American figure skater nicknamed the "Quad God," has emphatically moved past his Olympic disappointment, securing his third straight world championship title.
At the recent Winter Games, the 21-year-old favorite faltered, falling twice and finishing eighth. In Prague, he dominated, scoring 329.40 points to win gold ahead of Japan's Yuma Kagiyama. Malinin was blunt about his Olympic performance, saying simply, "I blew it," and attributed it to overwhelming mental pressure.
With the pressure off, he delivered a commanding free skate. Malinin becomes the first skater to win three consecutive men's world titles since fellow American Nathan Chen.