2026 World Figure Skating Championships Final: Ilia Malinin Gets His Redemption Skate in Epic Title Win

Team USA’s Ilia Malinin is looking to three-peat as world champion at the 2026 World Figure Skating Championships in Prague, Czechia. | Photo by Jurij Kodrun/Getty Images

The Quad God has done it. U.S. figure skating star Ilia Malinin returned to the ice for the 2026 World Figure Skating Championships in Prague, Czechia, where he triumphantly clinched a three-peat in the competition just a month after his Olympic heartbreaker.

Looking like a more confident and suave version of himself, Malinin skated his way to gold for his third straight world title on Saturday. He beat Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama and Shun Sato for the crown with a total score of 329.40; Kagiyama took home silver (306.67) while Sato took home bronze (288.54).

Following his stunning collapse in his Olympic debut in Milan in which Malinin squandered a five-point lead entering the free skate, the 21-year-old star tasted relief and redemption in a masterful final performance on the ice in Prague. Malinin is back on top of the world, where he rightfully deserves to be.

Relive all the action from the men’s free skate final at the 2026 World Championships, including Malinin’s three-peat victory, in Sports Illustrated’s live blog below.

World Figure Skating Championships Live Blog: Ilia Malinin achieves redemption in Prague after Olympic meltdown

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