World champ Ilia Malinin opens season in style with Skate America title

EVERETT, Washington, Nov 15 - Three-time world champion Ilia Malinin claimed the Skate America title in Everett on Saturday, winning the event for a fourth time and delighting audiences with a choreo spin inspired by his mother.

It marked a successful start to a campaign in which Malinin is seeking to balance the technical difficulty he is known for with greater artistic expression.

The American finished with a total score of 284.31 points after topping the short program on Friday and placing second in the free skate, securing victory by 9.58 points over Italy's Daniel Grassl.

Grassl produced the strongest free skate of the event, climbing from fourth after the short program to finish with 274.73, while Israel's Tamir Kuperman completed the podium on with 248.55 in his senior Grand Prix debut.

Performing his "Blue Eye Samurai" free skate, Malinin overcame a slightly awkward landing on his opening quad flip before nailing a triple Axel and quad toe loop.

The 21-year-old, nicknamed the "Quad God", then landed a quad Lutz-triple Axel-double Axel combination, adding a triple Lutz-double toe loop and a quad Salchow before bringing the crowd to its feet with his trademark backflip.

He opted against attempting his signature quadruple Axel, instead delighting the crowd with a choreo spin.

"It was definitely the most fun I've ever had, but skating that program, man, I'm tired," Malinin told NBC.

"My legs, at the end of the program, just nearly gave up on me, but I'm glad I was able to stay on my feet most of the time, and I'm just looking forward to how the program progresses in the future."

Malinin said his mother Tatiana Malinina, the 1999 Grand Prix Final champion, was a constant source of inspiration.

"She's been there for me ever since I was born, and I always appreciate everything she does for me," he said.

Malinin had a roller-coaster 2025-26 season. He saw his 14-event winning streak end at the Winter Olympics, where he finished eighth in the singles event, before rebounding weeks later to capture a third consecutive world title.

Malinin will return to action at the NHK Trophy in Japan in two weeks, where a podium finish is expected to secure his place at December's Grand Prix Final, an event he has won in each of the last three seasons. REUTERS