Ilia
Malinin

At 17, Ilia Malinin landed the first ratified quadruple Axel in competition history, completing a jump long considered the sport's toughest.

He became the first skater to land a quadruple Axel in a short program, adding one of figure skating's most difficult jumps to competition.

Malinin captured his first World Championship title, posting 333.76 points—the highest total ever recorded at a World Championships.

Malinin defended his world title, extending an unbeaten run that now spans two full competitive seasons. The result confirms his standing at the top of men's figure skating across back-to-back campaigns.

Ilia Malinin set a new ISU world record with a total score of 333.81, marking the highest combined tally in the discipline's history.

Malinin scored a record free skate of 238.24, landing all six quadruple jump types plus a seventh quad in a single programme — a first in the sport.

Malinin won the men's free skate to secure Olympic team gold for the United States, edging Japan by a single point.

Five weeks after the Olympics, Malinin returned to claim a third consecutive world title with 329.40 points, anchored by a personal-best short program.