Ilia Malinin’s Brutal Olympic Collapse Just Lit The Fuse For A Ruthless Comeback – Now The Quad God Is Back In Prague Chasing A Third World Title And The Redemption Everyone Said Was Inevitable
Just a month after his Olympic heartbreak, U.S. figure skater Ilia Malinin goes for his third consecutive world title. The Olympian will take to the ice on Thursday at the 2026 ISU World Championships in Prague, Czechia.
Once more, the 21-year-old is the favorite for gold. But this time, the circumstances could not be more different. In Milan-Cortina, the anointed “Quad God” arrived as the reigning world record holder for the highest-scoring free skate in history.
Heading into Milan, few records remained for Malinin to break. The eyes of a nation were watching his skating, and it showed.
What Happened in Milan-Cortina
Considered an overwhelming favorite for
2026 Olympic gold, Malinin collapsed under the bright lights in Milan-Cortina.
Revered for his unrivaled ability to execute quadruple jumps – including the previously thought-impossible quadruple Axel jump – Malinin struggled through nearly every key element in his program.
The skater broke into visible anguish as soon as he finished his skate, immediately understanding the impact of his mistakes. A record-low free skate dropped him from first to eighth overall, falling off the podium entirely while Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Shaidorov won an unexpected gold.
Malinin was candid about his mental struggles due to the pressure in Milan-Cortina, later describing his disastrous free skate as an “inevitable crash.” “I blew it,” Malinin told NBC’s Andrea Joyce minutes after the skate.
“Finally experiencing that Olympic atmosphere…it’s not like any other competition, Malinin added. Though the skater helped Team USA to gold in the Olympic Team Event, he left Milan-Cortina seeking individual redemption.
For better or for worse, that redemption could be on the table this week, just a little over a month later and roughly 400 miles northeast of Milan.
“Next step, Redemption. See you in Prague,” Malinin said in February.
Redemption On The Line
“One loss doesn’t change what you have already won,” Malinin reminded fans following his Olympic debut.
In Prague, Malinin enters as the reigning two-time World Champion. He will face off with familiar foes from Milan, the 2026 Olympic silver and bronze medalists, Yuma Kagiyama and Shun Sato of Japan.
2026 Olympic champion, Mikhail Shaidorov, will not be in attendance this week.
Though the mental and physical tests are aplenty, Malinin has looked undeniable in training since arriving in Czechia. After failing to land his quadruple Axel in Milan, the skater reportedly landed multiple in training, including an unfathomable quadruple Axel to triple toe jump combination.
MILAN, ITALY – FEBRUARY 08: Ilia Malinin of Team United States celebrates after competing in Men’s Single Skating – Free
Skating Team Event on day two of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Ice Skating Arena on February 08, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Matthew
Stockman/Getty Images)
Getty Images
As the first skater to land a quadruple axel, if Malinin can successfully land the combination, two things will be true.
One: he will become the first skater to do so.
Two: he will be nearly impossible to beat… but we’ve said that before.
If Malinin can pull off the win in Prague, he will become only the fifth American man in history to win three consecutive World titles, joining legends like Nathan Chen and Scott Hamilton.
“You learn more from failure than success,”
X
he said in February, following his Olympic
effort. We’ll find out what Malinin learned on Thursday.
How To Watch Ilia Malinin Skate in
Prague
Malinin and the world’s top male skaters will compete in the Men’s Short Program on Thursday, March 26. Viewers can stream the competition live on Peacock, beginning at 5:45 a.m. ET.
The top 24 finishers from Thursday’s Short Program will advance to the Men’s Free Skate – the medal round – on Saturday, March 28 at 7:30 a.m. ET. NBC will provide an event recap later that evening, at 8:00 p.m. ET.
