Reigning champion Ilia Malinin of U.S. leaps to early lead at figure skating worlds in Boston

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Reigning satellite champion Ilia Malinin delivered a season-best abbreviated programme connected Thursday night, giving the young American prima a slim pb implicit Japan's Yuma Kagiyama successful what has rapidly go a two-man contention to this year's title.

Young American prima holds slim borderline connected Japan's Yuma Kagiyama aft abbreviated program

The Associated Press

· Posted: Mar 27, 2025 5:53 PM EDT | Last Updated: 27 minutes ago

The 20-year-old Malinin delivered a brace of quads and a superb triple axel to people 110.41 points, conscionable implicit 3 points disconnected the satellite grounds acceptable by Nathan Chen astatine the 2022 Winter Olympics. It was capable to support Malinin successful archetypal erstwhile Kagiyama followed him with a resplendent programme that resulted successful a people of 107.09 — astir a constituent disconnected his career-best.

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Mikhail Shaidorov of Kazakhstan was a distant 3rd with 94.77 points heading into Saturday night's escaped skate, which volition wrapper up the last satellite championships earlier the Milano-Cortina Olympics adjacent year.

The high-flying Malinin, who has not been beaten since 2023, has go the clear-cut favourite to win Chen astatine the Winter Games. And helium surely doesn't look to caput the pressure, performing with a benignant of swagger that belies his age.

As Malinin wrapped his abbreviated program, acceptable to "Running" by American rapper NF, the TD Garden assemblage stood successful ovation.

WATCH | Malinin leaps to large early men's abbreviated programme lead:

American 'quad god' Ilia Malinin jumps retired to large satellite title pb successful Boston

Malinin acceptable a caller idiosyncratic champion people of 110.41 points to triumph the men's abbreviated program, astatine the satellite fig skating championships successful Boston.

Canada's Sadovsky just misses season-best score

Roman Sadovsky of Vaughan, Ont., posted an 80.25, conscionable shy of a season-best, to fertile 15th aft his coagulated skate to "Unconscious" by Charlie Winston.

"Overall, a truly affirmative experience, truly bully vigor present successful the assemblage — tons of Canadian flags," said Sadovsky, who placed 19th astatine worlds successful Montreal past year.

The 25-year-old qualified for Saturday's escaped skate and secured 1 men's lawsuit introduction for Canada astatine the 2026 Winter Games. He'll request to ascent into the apical 10 to gain his state a 2nd provisional spot.

WATCH | Sadovsky sits 15th aft men's abbreviated program:

Canada's Roman Sadovsky sits successful 15th spot astatine the satellite fig skating championships

Roman Sadovsky of Vaughan, Ont., is successful 15th spot aft the men's abbreviated program, astatine the satellite fig skating championships successful Boston.

The satellite championships continued Thursday night, erstwhile the archetypal medals were to beryllium awarded pursuing the pairs escaped skate. Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara of Japan had a astir two-point pb implicit Sara Conti and Niccolo Macci of Italy aft their abbreviated programme arsenic they effort to triumph backmost the satellite rubric they held 2 years ago.

One of the subplots to the satellite championships is however galore spots each state tin unafraid for the Olympics. The look is comparatively complicated, but for countries specified arsenic the U.S. with 3 competitors astatine worlds, the apical 2 placements indispensable full 13 oregon little for that federation to person the maximum of 3 spots astatine the Winter Games.

Malinin is definite to springiness the Americans 1 bully score. The different volition beryllium connected the performances successful Saturday night's escaped skate for Andrew Torgashev and Jason Brown, the 30-year-old, two-time Olympian who continues to defy his age.

WATCH | Malinin speaks to CBC Sports' Devin Heroux aft season-best score:

Ilia Malinin overcomes nerves to triumph men's satellite title abbreviated program

American Ilia Malinin spoke with CBC Sports' Devin Heroux, aft mounting a caller idiosyncratic champion people of 110.41 points to triumph the men's abbreviated program, astatine the satellite fig skating championships successful Boston.

Torgashev spent a portion atop the leaderboard Thursday nighttime aft a abbreviated programme that scored 87.27 points and near him successful eighth place. Brown coiled up 12th with 84.72, a full that would person been amended had the perennial instrumentality favourite not overshot his triple axel oregon treble a planned triple toed loop successful his operation with a triple lutz.

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Who to ticker astatine the fig skating satellite championships

Nevertheless, Brown was each smiles aft a coagulated skate amid a trying season. He's been dealing with footwear issues that forced him to retreat from the U.S. championships successful January, and lone precocious did helium yet get his instrumentality sorted out.

"You cognize what? It felt great," Brown said. "I'm arrogant of the combat that I gave this season. You know, each azygous clip I got knocked down, my coaches and sports psych and my household would like, rally down me, like, `No, we're going to support pushing. We're going to fig it out.' And truthful retired of that, ohio my gosh, it's truthful special."

That Figure Skating Show | Previewing the 2025 satellite championships successful Boston:

That Figure Skating Show previews Boston 2025

The 2025 World Figure Skating Championships are successful Boston wherever Amber Glenn and Ilia Malinin get to vie connected location soil. Piper Gilles & Paul Poirier look to triumph elusive satellite golden and Deanna Stellato-Dudek & Maxime Deschamps support their title. Olympic quota spots are connected the enactment for Canadian azygous skaters and we perceive from Devin Heroux, our antheral connected the crushed astatine Worlds.

With files from The Canadian Press

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