KEY POINTS
- American skating sensation Ilia Malinin confirmed he will compete at the 2026 World Championships in Prague next month.
- The two-time reigning world champion was seen observing the Olympic pairs event in Milan following a shocking eighth-place individual finish.
- Despite the upset, Malinin recently led the United States to a gold medal in the Olympic figure skating team competition.
Ilia Malinin is shifting his focus toward redemption following a turbulent individual performance at the 2026 Winter Olympics. The American figure skater, widely celebrated as the “Quad God,” will officially defend his crown at the World Figure Skating Championships in Prague this March. This commitment comes just days after a stunning upset in the men’s individual free skate left the heavy gold-medal favorite off the podium. Malinin finished in eighth place after uncharacteristic falls and technical errors derailed his highly anticipated routine.
The 21-year-old was spotted in the stands at the Milano Ice Skating Arena on Sunday, taking in the Olympic pairs competition. He was seen alongside fellow skaters Donovan Carrillo of Mexico and Canadian ice dancer Piper Gilles. According to NBC broadcast reports, Malinin returned to the ice for practice earlier that morning to begin his preparation for the upcoming global event. His presence at the arena signals a quick mental reset as he prepares to close out the 2025–26 season on a high note.
The World Championships, scheduled for March 23–29, offer Malinin a chance to secure his third consecutive world title. While his individual Olympic journey was a “nightmare” by his own description, his time in Italy was not without success. Malinin played a pivotal role in securing the gold medal for Team USA in the figure skating team event earlier in the Games. His technical contributions helped the Americans edge out Japan by a single point, earning him his first Olympic gold.
Malinin’s recent struggles in the individual event were attributed to the overwhelming pressure of his first Olympic Games. The skater admitted that the magnitude of the moment affected his focus, causing a chain reaction of mistakes during his free skate. Despite the heartbreak, he displayed significant sportsmanship by immediately congratulating Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Shaidorov, who claimed the shock gold medal. The skating world now looks toward Prague to see if Malinin can recapture the technical invincibility that defined his two-year winning streak.
