USA’s Ilia Malinin defends World title in Boston
2025 World Figure Skating Championships: Men
USA’s Ilia Malinin easily defended his world title in the Men’s event on Saturday night in Boston, Mass., at the TD Garden arena. Mikhail Shaidorov of Kazakhstan captured the silver in his third appearance at this event, while Yuma Kagiyama of Japan settled for bronze.
Ilia Malinin
The 2024 World Champion delivered an exceptional short program to “Running” by NF to place first with a new personal best of 110.41 points. He reeled off a quad flip, triple Axel and quad Lutz-triple toe. Both spins and the footwork were graded a level four. The footwork alone received mostly 5+ from the panel, and the crowd roared their appreciation with every element.
“I don’t even know how to feel right now,” said Malinin. “I felt really nervous, more than usual. But when the music came on, I just went into a flow state, and it just went from there. I trusted my muscle memory. I think I learned quite a lot from the Grand Prix Final. That will help me going into the free skate.”
The two-time Grand Prix Final champion reeled off an excellent quad flip and quad loop in his ambitious free skate to “I’m Not a Vampire.” The quad Axel and quad toe were landed on the quarter, but he produced a quad Salchow-triple Axel sequence. He also doubled a quad flip, but all three spins were rewarded a level four. The steps were graded a level three but earned mostly +5 grades of execution (GOE) across the panel, and he scored a season’s of 208.15 points. With a total score of 318.56, he won the event with over 31 points to spare.
“I feel very relieved that I was able to put out that performance the way I tried,” said the 20-year-old. “It wasn’t what I planned, and of course there’s a few minor things that I can keep improving. But overall, I feel pretty confident and I’m really happy for landing the quad loop finally this season. I was like I finally got this so now I can focus on the rest of the program.”
“The energy in the arena was impressive!” he added. “It was so wild and chaotic, and it really just helped me get through the rest of the program. I definitely was a lot more nervous last year but overall, I think I was a little bit more tired now. I’m really happy with my performance and I just fought for every element and I’m happy that I got this.”
Mikhail Shaidorov
The 2025 Four Continents Champion gave a dramatic performance in his short program to music from Dune. He opened with a quad Lutz-triple toe but put a hand down on a triple Axel. However, he followed up with a quad toe in the second half and produced two level-four spins. The combination jump received 2.96 GOEs and he placed third with a score of 94.77.
“It’s different for me this time because I come here with a title,” said the 20-year-old of the pressure. “My main goal here is to skate clean and have two clean performances. Luckily right now, I’m not feeling more pressure or expectations because of my Four Continent’s title.”
“It’s a huge honor to hear that young skaters, especially in Kazakhstan, are looking up to me,” Shaidorov added. “It’s very dear to my heart to push the sport in my home country and show the sport to young children to get them into figure skating. Right now, I can’t really realize yet what it will mean to skate at the Olympics next year. Maybe I will realize it a little bit more after the free skate. My main goal here in the free skate is to skate clean. There are no new tricks planned, but I will go for the triple Axel-Euler-quad Salchow combination.”
The 2024-25 Grand Prix finalist opened with a difficult, but solid triple Axel-Euler-quad Salchow in his free skate to “Moonlight Sonata” and “Take on Me.” He followed up a with a quad Lutz, quad toe, and a quad toe-triple toe in the second half. All jumps and elements were clean, with two spins garnering a level four, and he posted a new personal best of 192.70 points for second place. With a total score of 287.47, he moved up to second place overall.
“I can’t believe it!” said the 20-year-old. “I didn’t think about a medal when I went out to skate. I just wanted to skate the best I can, enjoy all the emotions in this beautiful arena. I wanted to give my maximum. I did not think that I would end the season in this way. At the beginning of the season, I never would have believed it that I would be at the World’s podium. It was a long and tough season, but also a breakthrough season and now it’s only about moving forward.”
Kazakhstan now has a spot for the men for the Olympics as well as a chance to qualify for a second spot at the Beijing qualifying event. The country can also send three men to 2026 Worlds.
Yuma Kagiyama
The 2022 Olympic silver medalist showed lots of speed in his amazing routine to “The Sound of Silence.” He landed a solid quad toe-triple toe, quad Salchow and triple Axel and displayed very good level four spins and footwork throughout. He also received the highest component scores and placed second with a new season’s best of 107.09.
“I was able to skate and perform as I planned,” said the 21-year-old. “I know the special pressure skating after Ilia, but I just imagined how cool it is to do a great skate as the last skater. I was more excited about my being able to close the competition with a great skate than any other negative thinking. I’m glad about the new music arrangement, I think it added great accents.”
Kagiyama had an uncharacteristic free skate. The 2024 Four Continents champion doubled his opening quad flip and stepped out on the quad Salchow. While he landed a quad toe-double toe, he fell on an underrotated quad toe in the second half. He also popped a toe on the back half of a triple flip, but the highlight of his routine was superb level-four footwork. He placed 10th with 171.10 points but managed to stay on the podium with a total score of 278.19 points.
“My most concern were the Olympic spots,” he said. “We really wanted to get three spots and so relieved to achieve it. Because the first jump set the tone, I was rushing and made a mistake. After that, it was an uphill battle. Because of teammates’ stellar effort and my short program, we were able to secure three spots and that was a big relief.”
“I didn’t think that today’s performance was great, wondering if I deserve the podium, but I will accept,” said Kagiyama. “I’m so glad that I didn’t let the team down at the end. Today’s performance was a humbling experience. I feel like I need to work on self-confidence. Watching Shun’s experience for the first time reminded me of my first time.”
The skater added that the audience “lifted him up” during his routine Spanish-themed routine. He now plans to get back to work and start training for next season.
Adam Siao Him Fa
Adam Siao Him Fa of France placed ninth (87.22) in his beautiful short program to “SOS d’un terrien en détresse” which was highlighted by exceptional level-four footwork. The 2024 World bronze medalist underrotated and fell on his opening quad Lutz but held on to the landing of a quad toe-triple toe. He also landed a solid triple Axel and displayed level-four spins throughout.
“Right now, it’s a burning inside of me,” said the 24-year-old, who’s been battling an ankle injury. “Of course, I’m a little bit disappointed. I felt physically ready, so this was not what I was expecting. But I’m feeling the same as last year after the short program. Last year has taught me that everything is possible, so I’m really looking forward to bouncing back on Saturday.”
The two-time European champion delivered an intense and powerful free skate to music from Dune. The only errors came when he put a hand down on the opening with a quad Lutz and fell on a triple Axel. Otherwise, the dug deep and executed quad toe-triple toe, quad toe and quad Salchow-Euler-double salchow. All spins and footwork were graded a level four, and he scored a new season’s best of 188.26 points for third place. With 275.48 points total, he moved up five places to fourth overall.
“I kind of had flashbacks from last year,” said Siao Him Fa. “I did my best out there.”
The skater shared that after the first Axel, one of his boots broke and got soft.
“In hindsight, I probably should have gone for a Lutz instead of the second Axel, but in the heat of the moment, there was just so much going on in my head.”
The 2022 Olympian joked that sitting on the couch last year was more comfortable than the leader chair in Boston.
“At least I had people to talk to then!” he said of Montreal. “But the leader chair was still fun because I got to watch the performances and really cheer for Kevin. We have a great camaraderie, a healthy rivalry, and I was cheering him on.”
The skater is already working on his new free skate for next season and revealed that it’s a new style he’s very excited about.
“As for the World Team Trophy, I don’t plan on adding the quad flip, but first, I need to change my boot!” he said.
Kevin Aymoz
Kevin Aymoz of France produced an exquisite short program to “Bird Gerhl” by Anohni. The skater didn’t feel it was appropriate to skate to his other program (“Everybody” by Martin Solveig) and wanted to dedicate this one to the victims and families of Flight AA 5342. The 2022 Olympian slightly underrotated the front end of a quad toe-triple toe, but the triple Axel and triple Lutz were solid. He also received a level four on two spins as well as his spectacular footwork. He finished a close fourth with a new season’s best of 93.63.
“I feel like I am living in a dream right now,” said Aymoz. “I remember last year, at the World Championships, I wasn’t there. I was alone in the dark, crying. But now, I’m here. I worked so hard since the European Championships. I’m so thankful for my whole team, my family, my friends, everyone who supported me. I also want to give a thank you to my second coach who couldn’t come today because she got sick and she’s in the hotel right now. Thank you so much!”
The six-time French champion placed seventh (178.89) in the free skate with his routine to “Van Gogh,” “Hold on Tight” and “Destiny.” He managed to hang on to his opening quad toe-double toe and a triple Lutz, but stepped out of the back end of a triple toe-Euler-triple Salchow. He also received an edge call on the triple flip, but it was still a great skate with excellent level-three footwork and innovative choreography. He also had the third highest component scores and finished fifth overall (272.52).
“I feel fantastic!” said the 27-year-old. “Oh my god, top five at Worlds! I feel like I’ve had a good season overall. I made the Grand Prix Final, medaled at both of my Grand Prixes, won the Road to Milan, and now fifth at Worlds. Plus, I qualified for the free skate at Europeans. Not bad at all. I’m really, really happy right now!”
The six-time French champion noted his mistakes, but observed how supportive the crowd was.
“The audience was crazy, like Japan crazy!” he said. “Such incredible support, so thank you so much! Also, I just want to say how proud I am of Team France. The ice dancers, the pair team— even though they didn’t qualify, I know they will make it at the next qualifier.”
France now has three spots for the men at 2026 Worlds. They have two spots for the Olympics and an opportunity to qualify for a third at the Beijing event this fall.
“I’m so proud of Adam, and I’m so glad we qualified that third spot, potentially giving someone else a chance to go to the Olympics and next year’s Worlds,” Aymoz summed up.
When asked about his “rivalry with Siao Him Fa, he said, “Two years ago, it stressed me out a bit and gave me anxiety. I wondered if I was good enough, but now I’ve turned it into something positive. I feel like the underdog now, which is nice because there’s less pressure. We’ve become really good friends, actually. We hung out last night, joking about not taking the spots, just having fun. It’s awesome to cheer for each other.”
Shun Sato
Japan’s Shun Sato finished fifth (91.26) in the short program after his routine “Fantasy for Violin and Orchestra” from Ladies in Lavender. The 2024-25 Grand Prix bronze medalist reeled of a quad Lutz, but put a hand down on a quad toe in combination with a double toe. The triple Axel was solid, however, and he also received a level four for one of his spins in his debut at this event.
“The quad Lutz had a good flow to it, and I’m glad it turned out the way it does in practice,” said the 21-year-old. “For the free, because I had a hand down on the quad toe, and I want to try to iron out those small kinks. Nonetheless, I was glad that there were no major mistakes. I have been working on my posture when jumping the quad Lutz and trying to correct it, so I’m glad it turned out well today. I was extremely nervous coming into this competition but found myself much calmer when the music started.”
The two-time Four Continents medalist gave a fantastic free skate to “Nostos,” opening with a solid quad Lutz. While he received an edge call on a quad flip, he otherwise landed a good quad toe-triple toe before he stepped out of a quad toe putting hand down. This was counted as a fall, but all the triple jumps were clean, and he finished sixth in the free skate and overall (179.30 / 270.56).
“Overall, I enjoyed my skate and landed most of my jumps, so I’m just really relieved right now,” said Sato. “I was so nervous. I had worked so hard this past month for this competition, and that fist pump was an expression of how glad I was it all paid off.”
Sato said that he felt the nervousness “still overwhelms the fun aspect,” but says he will use it to his advantage and managed to still do his best.
“The audience gave me so much strength, and I’m very grateful,” added the skater from Saitama. “Even when your jumps don’t go well, they cheer so loud for you. It really gives you strength. I’m very glad and honored to have been able to compete here. I think it will pave the way for good things next season.”
Japan now has three spots for the men for both the 2026 Olympics and 2026 Worlds.
Junhwan Cha
Junhwan Cha of the Republic of Korea sat down on a triple Axel, but landed a quad Salchow and triple Lutz-triple toe in his short program to “Natural” by Imagine Dragons. The 2023 World silver medalist placed 10th (86.41) going into the free skate.
“I feel a little bit frustrated about the Axel, but I will now move on and give my very best in the free skate,” said the 23-year-old. “I feel like I recovered well there for this competition and feel prepared.”
The two-time Four Continents medalist showed very good skating skills in his free skate to “Balada para un Loco.” He landed a solid quad Salchow but doubled the toe. Nevertheless, it was an excellent skate that included seven clean triple jumps as well as excellent level-four footwork and spins. He posted 179.33 for fifth place in the free skate and moved up to seventh place overall (265.74).
“Oh my god, the support out there was so, so, so amazing! Cha observed. “They were so loud, and I really got so much energy from that. Maybe it was even my best moment in my whole figure skating life. I’ve never, ever experienced such support. The best message I can give back to the fans is that I’m really doing my best because they are cheering for me.”
Cha said the mistake on the toe was disappointing, but that he put it behind him.
“Looking back on my season, it was a long season,” he reflected. “I had 11 competitions. My injury got worse in the middle of it, and I wasn’t sure mid-season where I was going to go. But I took one step at a time, and it got better. My biggest support during that time was clearly my family, my fans, and also my coach, who said a lot of motivating and inspiring words to me. Now, I will take some time to recover and train again for the Olympic season.”
The Republic of Korea can now send two men to 2026 Worlds. They can also send a second man to qualify for a second Olympic spot at the qualification event in Beijing in September.
Jason Brown
USA’s Jason Brown engaged the audience with a near-clean short program to music from The Legend of Tarzan soundtrack. He opened with a solid triple flip before hanging onto the landing of a triple Axel that was a quarter underrotated. He also landed a triple Lutz-double toe and produced excellent level-four spins and footwork throughout. The 2022 Olympian posted a score of 84.72 for 12th place.
“It feels so good,” said Brown. “There’s no denying that my season up to this point wasn’t ideal. And, yeah, I haven’t landed the triple Axel yet this season until this point. So finally, we can make a good check on this.”
The 30-year-old added that the season was interesting for him as he had not decided if he would compete for the full season early on.
“I wanted to get ready for next season, prepare for that,” he explained. “So that was new for me again. Additionally, I had some boot issues that are luckily solved now, but it unfortunately took very long until recently to have that issue fixed. I’m so thankful for the support I had throughout the season, my family, the team who have always been there for me. Today felt just incredible, and I’m so thankful for the warm welcome and applause!”
The two-time Four Continents medalist gave an incredible performance to “Spiegel im Spiegel,” displaying excellent skating skills throughout. He landed a total of eight solid triple jumps, including two triple Axels, and earned a level four on all three spins. He posted a new season’s best of 180.68 for fourth place in the free skate, and roes up to eighth place overall (265.40).
“I’m still processing my performance tonight,” said Brown. “I was just focused on staying calm, staying in the moment, trusting myself and my training. I was so nervous before the skate. The biggest thing was trying to stay calm and focused and take it one step at a time. At the same time, I could feel the support like none other. I’m always trying to push the quality.”
“With the judging system, I’m doing my best to work the system to play to my strengths, maximize the point system,” he added. “The crowd is so special and so loud. The leader’s chair was very cool and nerve racking…but also a strange sense of calm. Honestly, for me, it was cool because I never get to watch the events. I get way too nervous to watch anyone before the competition, my teammates and other disciplines. It was cool to sit in the arena and watch.”
The United States now has three spots for the men at both the 2026 Olympic and 2026 Worlds.
Nika Egadze
Georgia’s Nika Egadze opened his short program to “L’Enfer by Stromae” with a huge quad Salchow-triple toe. He followed up with a quad toe and triple Axel while receiving a level four on two of his spins. The six-time Challenger Series medalist placed sixth with 90.39 points.
“I am kind of pleased with today’s performance,” said the skater from Tbilisi. “It was a good short program, but I’m not completely satisfied. There were some mistakes and a few steps, so I know I can do even better. Actually, when I’m in the US, I’m always kind of calm.”
Egadze put out a good free skate to “The Winter” and “Can You Hear the Music” that featured a three quad jumps: a quad toe, quad Salchow-triple toe and quad Salchow. He hung on to the first jump and turned out a triple Axel but was otherwise solid. He finished eighth in the free skate and ninth overall (172.64 / 263.03).
“I feel really good,” said the 22-year-old. “It was the best free program of my season. I felt a bit off, so I took out the Lutz because yesterday I didn’t feel right. I wanted to be able to save it, and I think this is something I can improve.”
“Overall, I’m very pleased,” he summed up. “I came into this program today with anger from Europeans, and I was 100% determined to make sure something like that wouldn’t happen again. I really hope Georgia qualifies for the World Team Trophy. That would be so fun! I’m not sure how the qualification system works, but I really hope we get in. Apart from that, I’m really looking forward to some rest and going to Georgia.”
Georgia has an automatic spot for men for the Olympics as well as an opportunity to qualify another spot at the Beijing qualifying event. They have two spots for worlds next year.
Rounding out the top 12
Nikolaj Memola of Italy placed 10th overall (255.13). The 2025 European silver medalist, who put out two good programs, admitted to feeling the responsibility of securing two spots for the Olympics.
“Now I feel 300 kilograms lighter,” he said. “I did see the scores of my competitors going into my free skate and I knew if I do my stuff, I would be good.”
The skater, who has never been to Japan, is excited to participate in World Team Trophy next month.
“The team competition should be so fun!” said the 21-year-old. “I will probably go with an empty suitcase and will bring home so much matcha stuff. I love matcha, and I’m looking for matcha KitKats and all that amazing stuff. I will hopefully also stay a little bit longer in Japan after the World Team Trophy to explore a little bit.”
Deniss Vasiljevs of Latvia had a fall on a triple Axel in the short program but rebounded for one of the best free skates of his career. He finished 11th overall (252.26) after moving up five spots.
“I feel fantastic!” said the two-time Olympian. “This is a moment I will keep in my heart forever and for my entire life. I felt raw and elegant during that performance, just how my character should be. Everything connected. These are the moments I strive for. I’m really feeling satisfied right now, and that is really rare. I’m so proud of myself. I overcame myself and delivered a good performance.”
The 25-year-old has now secured two spots for the 2026 Olympic games.
Lukas Britschgi of Switzerland placed 12th (244.19) followed by Italy’s Daniel Grassl (242.31).
Britschgi revealed that it was difficult preparing for this event and also was feeling ill the night before.
“I knew these four minutes were going to be tough,” he said. “I was fighting out there. I think a lot of things went well. Of course, I would have expected a little bit better, but overall, I still did some good stuff.”
“Next, I actually have to take eight weeks off to do rehabilitation for my knee,” the 27-year-old added. “That means eight weeks off the ice. Three of those weeks, I’ll use for vacation. I’m going to Colombia with a backpack and a friend that I traveled to Thailand with two years ago. Of course, I wouldn’t have needed such a long break under different circumstances, but I’ll try to make the best out of it and then come back with full power next season.”
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