Ilia Malinin leads World Championships with personal best short program
NBC Sports • • sports
Key Points:
- Ilia Malinin, aiming for a third consecutive world title, posted the highest men's short program score in four years at the World Championships with a personal best of 111.29 points, leading by 9.44 points over France's Adam Siao Him Fa.
- After a disappointing eighth-place finish at the Olympics, Malinin expressed a renewed focus on enjoying figure skating without heavy expectations, emphasizing resilience and personal growth.
- Estonia's Aleksandr Selevko is in third place, seeking his country's first world medal, while Japan's Yuma Kagiyama, a two-time Olympic silver medalist, sits sixth after a fall during his short program.
- American skaters Andrew Torgashev and Jacob Sanchez achieved personal best short program scores and are positioned seventh and tenth, respectively, with their combined placement critical for maintaining three U.S. men's spots at the 2027 Worlds.
- The World Championships continue with the pairs’ free skate, and notable absences include Olympic gold medalist Mikhail Shaidorov of Kazakhstan, who opted out of the event.
