USA’s Ilia Malinin lands record seven quads at Grand Prix Final
2025-26 Grand Prix Final: Men’s Figure Skating
USA’s Ilia Malinin landed a record of seven solid quads in the free skate, rebounding from third place to capture his third consecutive Grand Prix Final title on Saturday. Yuma Kagiyama of Japan pocketed the silver, while teammate Shun Sato earned the bronze.
Ilia Malinin
The two time and current World champion placed third (94.05) in the short program after two mistakes. He slightly underrotated his opening quad Axel, stepping out of the landing in his routine to Prince of Persia. The skater followed up with a good triple Axel but then landed the front end of a quad Lutz-triple toe on the quarter. However, all three spins and the footwork were graded a level four with positive grades of execution (GOEs).
“Today was a pretty interesting program for me,” said the 20-year-old. “It was definitely a risk that I wanted to go for this quad Axel combo, and it didn’t work out in the end. Overall, I just had to finish the rest of the program. And other than the mistakes on the job, everything else felt pretty OK.”
The two-time reigning Grand Prix Final champion landed a record of seven clean quads in one program in his free skate, scoring a new record score of 238.24 for first place. With this score, he topped his previous free skate record score from 2025 2025 Skate Canada by nearly 10 points. Malinin landed the following jumps, all of which received positive GOEs: quad flip, quad Axel, quad Lutz, quad loop, quad Lutz-Euler-triple flip, quad toe-triple toe and quad Salchow-triple Axel sequence. Three of the quads were executed after the half-way point, and he also earned a level four on two spins. He placed first overall with another record score total score of 332.29 points.
“I feel really relieved with that skate,” said Malinin. “It was one of the best skates that I’ve ever had, and I really went out on the ice and had to fight for every single element. I was so glad I was able to do that in front of the Japanese crowd. Without them, I don’t think that would have been possible.”
Malinin said he had thought about “watering down” the skate, but then remembered why he came to the Grand Prix Final.
“For me, the Grand Prix Final is a place for me to try new things and new elements, new layouts,” he explained. “To give myself an understanding what is possible, especially for this year for the Olympics. So, I decided that I wanted to go full out and give myself like a foundation of what it would look like. I’m really satisfied with my performance, and I know that I’m able to get these jumps under pressure. And now that I’m able to figure that out, I can add a lot more to the program to really make it one piece.”
“I think that I’m definitely proud of how I perform this year,” Malinin summed up. “I felt like I was a lot more ready and a lot more confident of myself and being able to deliver with my abilities under pressure.”
Yuma Kagiyama
The 2022 Olympic silver medalist placed first in the short program with 108.77 points—topping his previous personal best score in Beijing nearly four years ago. His brilliant and spirited routine to “I Wish” featured a solid quad toe-triple toe, quad Salchow and triple Axel. All elements received mostly +3-5 GOEs, and the spins and footwork were graded a level four.
“I’m very satisfied with today’s performance,” said Kagiyama. “Since the strong program at the Beijing Games, I was able to do my new personal best. I’m really happy about that since I got the feeling that there’s so much really growth and I could aim for higher scores in the GOE. It’s a new goal for me from today’s great performance.”
The four-time World medalist gave a dramatic free skate to Turandot but had two small errors which put him in fourth place (193.64) in this segment. He put a foot down on the back end of a triple flip-double toe as well as a triple Axel, but the opening quad Salchow and quad toe-double toe were clean. He also produced a triple Axel-Euler-triple Salchow and quad toe while earning many high GOEs for his level-four footwork and spins. With a total score of 302.41, he slipped to second place overall.
“Today’s performance I think I was able to focus on myself and I was able to make sure I executed each element,” said the 22-year-old. “Of course, I found the room for growth and performance. Therefore, I think I need to work much harder as well in practice so that I can better perform in the next competition.”
Kagiyama explained that last year he had a lot of “reluctance” and “lack of confidence” that he felt showed in his performances.
“After a year, I’ve learned so much and am more focused on myself,” he said. “I’m really facing myself and performing that and I’m continuing to have good training sessions, Now I’m more confident. And what I was looking at before was to be more on the offensive, being aggressive and strong minded, and I think that’s really starting to click. Overall, I’ve gained so much through this competition that I know that I could reflect that learning into my next competition as well as the Olympics. So, this was a good boost going into my other competitions along the line.”
Shun Sato
The two-time Four Continents medalist put out a good skate to “Fantasy for Violin and Orchestra” for second place in the short program with a new season’s best score of 98.06. He landed a solid quad Lutz and quad toe-triple toe, but had a tight landing on the triple Axel which resulted in negative GOEs. However, he picked up a level four on all three spins in his lyrical routine while displaying good footwork.
“I’m very happy and satisfied with my jump (quad Lutz) and getting a new season’s best,” said Sato. “I want to perform at my training level in the free skate and achieve good results. I made a small mistake on the Axel, so I hope to be able to fix that. I was able to improve my season’s best, but I didn’t achieve my goal of 100 points, so I’ll keep working hard. I was happy and encouraged by the cheers from so many fans and the banners they held up. I want to perform even better in the free program and finish with a smile on my face.”
The 2024-25 Grand Prix Final bronze medalist gave a solid free skate to The Firebird which included a quad Lutz, quad toe-triple toe, and quad toe. His fiery routine also featured an additional four clean triple jumps, including two triple Axels. The footwork and spins were both awarded a level four, and he scored a new personal best of 194.02 points for third place in this segment. With a total score of 292.08—also a personal best, Sato slipped one spot on the podium to third place overall.
“Before going on to the ice, I was really nervous, but I heard the audience and they really energized me, ” said the 21-year-old. “So, I’m really glad that I had no mistakes in my performance. Last year in the Final, I was lacking mental toughness which I have gained much more this season throughout, and I believe that is showing in the higher scores. So, from here on I need to work on my jumps and other factors rather than my emotions as well.”
Daniel Grassl
Daniel Grassl of Italy placed fourth in the short program with a new season’s best score of 94.00 points. He opened his routine to Tango per la libertà with a quad Lutz-triple toe, but the following quad loop was landed on the quarter. The triple Axel was solid, and he earned a level four for all three spins and a level three on the footwork.
The 2022 European silver medalist placed second in the free skate with a new personal best of 194.72. His commanding routine to music from Conclave was solid, and the skater landed a quad Lutz, quad loop and quad Salchow along with six clean triple jumps. All footwork and spins were also graded a level four, and he earned positive GOEs throughout. With a total score of 288.72—also a personal best—he maintained fourth place overall.
“I’m feeling really good,” said the 23-year-old. “I’m very happy how I performed today. It was like amazing, and I’m very happy about this result. I tried to give my best, and also in the steps I really tried to give everything. So, I’m very happy about this.”
Adam Siao Him Fa
Adam Siao Him Fa of France took a fall on his opening quad Lutz, and later stepped out of a quad toe, missing the combination in his short program. The triple Axel was good, and he showed conviction in his level-four footwork and spins, but the two mistakes were costly. The 2024 World bronze medalist finished fifth with 78.49 points going into the free skate.
The 2025 Grand Prix de France silver medalist displayed very good artistry in his free skate to “The Creation of Adam,” opening with a landing a solid quad Lutz, quad toe, and quad toe-double toe. He went on to land a quad Salchow-Euler-triple Salchow, but then stepped out of a triple Axel. He hung onto the next triple Axel, missing the sequence, and put a hand down on a triple Lutz. Still, all spins and footwork were rewarded with a level four and positive GOEs, and he finished fifth in the free skate and overall (180.15/258.64).
“It was really hard, but I’m satisfied that I gave my best,” said the 24-year-old. “I especially I enjoyed the skate. I know that I could do better. I’m nervous, but I was feeling great and it was really amazing to skate that.”
Mikhail Shaidorov
Mikhail Shaidorov of Kazakhstan took a fall on his opening quad Lutz in his short program to music from the Dune soundtrack. He rebounded with a triple Axel, but stepped out of a quad toe, missing the combination. While he showed two level-four spins, the mistakes were costly, and the 2025 World silver medalist finished sixth in this segment with 71.30 points.
“I was very nervous,” admitted the skater. “Every season is actually difficult for me, and I think that’s actually what helps me as well. In the free skate l want to put my mind together and sort out my thoughts.”
The 2025 Four Continents Champion gave a good effort in his free skate to “Confessa” and “Diva Dance,” which was highlighted by a quad Lutz and quad toe-triple toe. He stepped out of his opening triple Axle-Euler-triple Salchow and quad toe, but earned a level four on two spins and the footwork. He placed sixth in the free skate and overall (170.89/242.19).
“It was good, not perfect, but I was fine,” said the 21-year-old. “Today, it was a fight with me. I really enjoyed skating this program today and showing it to the public. I really love this music, and it’s just about getting more practices and skating it more and more and do my best at the Olympics.”
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