Ilia Malinin won his third World Championship gold with an outstanding free skate. A few weeks after the Olympics, the American lived up to his favorite status.
The pressure that came off of Ilia Malinin the moment he finished his routine, the moment it was clear to everyone that the American had secured his third world championship title, was evident in the scream he let out. The 21-year-old was the big favorite and fell at the Olympic Games. The gold that was believed to be safe was lost. Now he returned more than impressively. 329.40 points – Malinin danced across the ice in a league of his own.
Kagiyama increases the pressure
“I felt them behind me in every element. With you behind me, I got through it”Malinin explained to the audience at the World Figure Skating Championships in Prague. His very first well-wisher was Yumi Kagiyama. The Japanese had once again increased the pressure on Malinin at this World Championships with an outstanding free skate and clearly relegated compatriot Shun Sato (288.54) to third place.
Kagiyama was the first runner in the top group to score 306.67 points – an achievement that was more than just a guideline. Not only did none of the athletes in front of Malinin come close to this value, the Japanese’s freestyle meant that Malinin couldn’t afford any mistakes. The question arose in the hall as to whether the 21-year-old American would show nerves again after his dramatic appearance at the Olympics.
No Quadruple Axel: Malinin plays it safe
But Malinin strung together flawless jump after flawless jump, showed technical precision, elegance and impressed with a high level of difficulty. A quadruple flip at the beginning, then – instead of the disastrous quadruple axel like at the Olympic Games – Malinin opted for the safe triple variant. Otherwise, the 21-year-old showed his usual number of quadruple jumps. With every element, the doubts about a third world title for the exceptional expert disappeared. And at the end there was that scream in which all the pressure, all the frustration fell away as the standing ovation fell on him.
The 18-year-old German Genrikh Gartung came 24th in his World Cup debut after a shaky free skate.
