American Malinin defends world skating title

BOSTON -- Ilia Malinin defended his world title with a free skate that earned a standing ovation inside TD Garden on Saturday night, capping a memorable home championships for the Americans, who won three gold medals in the four figure skating events to give them a wave of momentum heading into an Olympic year.

The 20-year-old from Fairfax, Virginia, came up short in his try at a record seven quads -- Malinin settled for a mere six after he popped a planned quad lutz. But it hardly mattered. He finished with a season-best 318.56 points after his free skate, set to "I'm Not a Vampire" by Falling In Reverse, to win his second gold medal by more than 31 points.

Mikhail Shaidorov of Kazakhstan moved past Yuma Kagiyama for second place with a sublime free skate, finishing with 287.47, while the reigning Olympic silver medalist from Japan finished third with 278.19 points.

Malinin, who had about a three-point cushion on Kagiyama after his short program, oozed confidence as he swaggered toward the ice for his warmup. And when former Olympic ice dancer Ben Agosto announced his name, and a second straight sellout in TD Garden roared, the self-styled "Quad God" suddenly appeared stoic while preparing for his program.

The program had the kind of high-flying moves nobody else can do.

Malinin hit his first four quads, including the axel that only he has landed in competition, before the only real misstep, when he doubled up the lutz. But he stayed in the moment, finishing the program to a roar of approval from the home fans.

He was already the favorite to win gold at the Milano-Cortina Olympics next year.

Now, the question is whether anybody can compete with him?

The trip to Milan, Italy, is Malinin's primary focus. He was left off the team in Beijing despite finishing second at nationals that year, when U.S. Figure Skating opted for a more experienced lineup at the Winter Games.

"My focus on the Olympics will start at the beginning of next season, when the competitions start rolling around," he said. "That is when I will have to start on strategy, making sure I like how the programs are, and how the jumps are going, and making sure that everything is comfortable before the Olympics."