Boston (AFP) – Defending champion Ilia Malinin seized command of the men’s competition at the World Figure Skating Championships on Thursday while Japan’s Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara won the pairs title in Boston.
Malinin delivered one of the greatest short programs ever performed, and fans gave the 20-year-old American a standing ovation before his finish in a routine that earned 110.41 points, the fourth best short program score ever at men’s worlds. “I heard the cheering but I didn’t take enough time to see how people were reacting to me,” Malinin said. “I was so excited. I didn’t even finish skating yet and they were already standing and cheering me so loud.”
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In the pairs, the Japanese duo scored 219.79 points to capture the world crown by 0.71 of a point over Germany’s Minerva Fabienne Hase and Nikita Volodin, with Italy’s Sara Conti and Niccolo Macii third on 210.47. Miura and Kihara, who won Wednesday’s short program, were second in Thursday’s free skate final to the Germans but scored just well enough to capture their second world title in three seasons.
Nicknamed “Quad God” for his skill at quadruple jumps, Malinin dazzled the spectators with a brilliant performance. His effort left Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama, the 2022 Olympic runner-up and a three-time world runner-up, second on 107.09, with Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Shadorov, the Four Continents champion, a distant third on 94.77.
Malinin said he felt more nervous than usual as he stepped onto the ice but responded when his music began. “I can’t describe how I feel right now,” Malinin said. “All I remember is getting on that ice. I felt really nervous, more than usual, and I didn’t know what was going to happen. But once the music came on, I just got into that slow skate and it really just went from there.”
The men’s title will be decided in Saturday’s free skate final. “It’s going to be really fun and I’m really excited,” Malinin said of his free skate program. He said he was pleased to see Kagiyama deliver such a strong performance just after him in the final display of the session. “I’m so excited for Yuma. He looked really confident out there,” Malinin said. “I was watching him boardside right after I got off, so I was supporting him and I’m glad he did really good.”
The competition is being conducted with heavy hearts after 28 of 67 people who died when an American Airlines plane collided with a military helicopter in Washington on January 30 were members of the skating community, three of them who trained at Malinin’s Washington Skating club.
© 2024 AFP
