Ilia “Quad God” Malinin Wins Back-to-Back World Titles — and Teases a Historic Quad-Quad
On March 29, 2025, Ilia Malinin delivered a dominant, crowd-pleasing free skate in Boston to win his second consecutive World Figure Skating Championship title. But it wasn’t just the six quads or even the cheeky backflip that got people talking—it was what he teased next.
“I definitely think post-Olympics is where I can play around and try to go for the quad-quad.” — Ilia Malinin (People)
A Home-Ice Masterclass
Malinin scored 318.56 points, finishing over 31 points ahead of Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Shaidorov and Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama. The crowd at TD Garden roared as he landed jump after jump, including a massive quad Axel, and closed with a theatrical backflip.
The victory makes him the first U.S. skater to defend a world title since Scott Hamilton in the 1980s.
Inside the Program: 6 Quads + 1 Illegal Backflip
| Element | Base Value | GOE (+/–) |
|---|---|---|
| Quad Axel | 15.0 | +3.52 |
| Quad Lutz | 11.5 | +3.08 |
| Quad Lutz–Euler–Triple Salchow | 14.1 | +2.91 |
| Quad Toe loop | 9.7 | +3.10 |
| Quad Salchow–Triple Toe loop | 13.1 | +2.65 |
| Quad Toe loop (second half) | 10.67 | +2.94 |
Note: The backflip earned a 2 deduction (as it's 100% illegal), but it didn’t matter, he was on FIRE and his lead was massive.
Why He’s Saving the Quad-Quad
Malinin told People he’s intentionally holding back the world’s first quad quad combo until after the Milan 2026 Olympics:
“For the Olympics, I want a solid foundation and not have to worry about new risks.”
He plans to keep his current seven quad layout stable for the Olympic season....outrageous to be even able to say that.
What’s Next for the “Quad God”
Malinin headlines the 2025 Stars on Ice tour before heading back to training for Milano 2026. He says the shows are a good opportunity to experiment with choreography while staying in performance shape.
Big Picture Takeaways
- Silver medallist Mikhail Shaidorov landed the first triple Axel–quad toe combo in competition.
- The ISU’s latest scoring updates now include quint jumps in the official scale.
- NBC's broadcast of the men's event hit 4.2 million viewers, the highest since Vancouver 2010.
Sources
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