MONTREAL – The future of American figure skating arrived in breathtaking fashion at the 2024 World Championships. Leading a remarkable team performance, 19-year-old Ilia Malinin delivered a tour de force long program, making history by landing an astonishing six quadruple jumps.
Malinin’s majestic routine was the crowning achievement of a worlds competition that will be remembered as a pivotal moment for U.S. figure skating. Just 23 months before the 2026 Milan Olympics, the young American team showcased thrilling talent and depth, turning in the nation’s strongest overall worlds performance since 2005.
“I’m still in shock. I still can’t believe I did this,” a beaming Malinin said after his electric free skate. With effortless power and grace, the teen phenom reeled off quad after quad, his flowing locks whipping in the air as the crowd’s roars grew louder with each soaring revolution.
When his music finally stopped, Malinin crumpled to the ice, overcome with emotion and disbelief at what he had accomplished. His total score of 340.34 points shattered the previous world record, cementing his status as the new “Quadruple King” of figure skating.
Brookings High Jumper Isabeau Levito Claims Improbable Silver
While Malinin soared to the pinnacle, teammate Isabeau Levito displayed remarkable resilience to claim the silver medal in the women’s event. Just two months ago at nationals, the 17-year-old from Brookings, South Dakota endured a crisis of confidence, falling three times during a disastrous long program.
But at worlds, Levito regrouped with the mental fortitude of a veteran far beyond her years. Attacking her programs with the precision and grace of a ballerina, she landed seven triple jumps across two brilliant performances. Her total score of 235.17 placed her a surprising second, outshining a deep international field.
“It’s just all building blocks, just learning more experiences and becoming wiser so that I can be the best that I can be by the time of the Olympics,” said Levito, wisely maintaining perspective despite her breakthrough silver.
Madison Chock and Evan Bates Retain Ice Dance Crown
Completing the American medal haul were defending ice dance champions Madison Chock and Evan Bates, who retained their world title in electrifying fashion. The veteran duo’s powerful, emotive programs showcased their peerless connection, technical mastery and unparalleled attention to detail.
Their gold was made even sweeter by the fact that Olympic gold medals from Beijing 2022 are expected to be re-awarded to them and the rest of the U.S. team in the coming months after the Kamila Valieva doping saga is finally resolved.
“These championships proved we are a force to be reckoned with on the global stage heading into the Olympic season,” said Chock. “The future is incredibly bright for American skating.”
Explosive U.S. Resurgence in a Post-Russia World
Indeed, the stirring medal haul is made even more impressive considering it came against a depleted field, with Russian skaters remaining banned from international competition due to the ongoing war in Ukraine. The absence of the traditionally powerful Russians undoubtedly opened opportunities for American skaters.
However, with no clear end to the conflict in sight, it appears increasingly possible Russian athletes could be excluded from the 2026 Milan Olympics as well. In that case, this worlds provided a potential glimpse into an Olympic future without their formidable presence on the ice.
While uncertainty lingers, one thing is clear: this young U.S. team is supremely talented, fearlessly athletic and extremely driven to claim glory in Milan and restore America’s flagship winter sport to global prominence.
The Malinin Storyline: Born for Olympic Greatness?
No single skater personifies America’s soaring aspirations quite like the newly-crowned World Champion Ilia Malinin. The son of former Olympians who represented Uzbekistan, figure skating greatness quite literally runs through his veins.
His mother Tatiana was a 10-time world championships competitor who finished 8th at the 1998 Nagano Games. His father Roman skated at both the 1998 and 2002 Olympics. After moving to Virginia, they passed on their passion and knowledge to their son.
Now with his historic exploits in Montreal, the incredibly gifted “Quad God” has served notice that he could go down as one of the all-time Olympic greats. His ability to chain together multiple revolutions in the air appears to be redefining the limits of technical mastery.
“When I got into the starting position, I knew this could be the best skate of my life or it could go terribly wrong,” Malinin recalled of his mindset before his Victorian-inspired championship routine began. “So I just thought, keep myself under control and try to attack everything.”
And attack he did, fearlessly and flawlessly soaring through six different types of quadruple jumps – more than any other male skater has landed in a single program. The astounding feat left people struggling for adequate superlatives.
“I was just flying through the program. It was just amazing to hear at the very end…when I finished all my jumping passes, just hear the crowd go wild,” said Malinin.
His father Roman marveled: “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
A Rocket-ship Journey to Greatness
While Ilia Malinin’s out-of-this-world talent is clear, his stratospheric rise has been suitably meteoric. Just four years ago as a 15-year-old, he landed his first quadruple jump in competition. Barely a year later, he landed a mind-boggling four quads in a single program on the junior circuit.
Fast forward to now, and Malinin has expanded his prodigious quad arsenal to all six rotational entry varieties: toe loop, salchow, loop, lutz, flip and axel. Colleagues and coaches simply shake their heads in awe when discussing the boundless potential of the young “SpinDoctor.”
So while Olympians like Nathan Chen and Yuzuru Hanyu have dazzled by landing two to four quads routinely, Malinin appears to be playing an entirely different game – one that could allow him to utterly rewrite the sport’s code of possibility heading into 2026.
An Olympic Journey Emboldened
As the figure skating world begins turning its gaze toward Milan, the bravura American resurgence on display in Montreal provides the sweetest sustenance. While the Russian situation created opportunity, this ascendant U.S. squad has clearly demonstrated it possesses the skill and mettle to seize the Olympic moment.
After so many cycles of struggle and disappointment on sports’ biggest stage, American figure skating may have finally found its new aerialist vanguard ready to author an emphatically bold comeback era.
“I was hearing the crowd cheer, cheer, more, more, and just feeling that energy,” said Ilia Malinin, the brilliant embodiment of his nation’s revitalized Olympic dreams.
The future has arrived. And it’s taking flight.
