Ilia Malinin Leaf Figures Skating World in awe when it grows up to the next barrier breaking items

Wichita, Kansas – Figures Skater often say that they only compete against themselves.

This has certainly become the case for Ilia Malinin at the Prevagen US championships.

The reigning world champion is simply in a league at the national level.

He showed that again in The short program on SaturdayWith 19.14 points with Andrew Torgashev and Jimmy Ma third, 3.03 points behind Torgashev. It is a record lead for the men’s short program winner at Nationals.

US championships: Results | Shipment plan

And Malinin was also at the top with a score (114.08), which is more than three points higher than his former short program at the Nationals.

“I was pretty surprised at the score,” said Malinin. “I thought that performance 110, 109.”

Malinin makes the extraordinary appearance easier to a certain extent that even he can underestimate its effects on others, including judges.

“You always have to see behind the scenes and how everything works with practices,” he said. “It will not always look that simple.”

And it is almost disappointing if he only makes a four-time flip and a quad-lozen-trip-toe-loop combination, as he did in this short program and avoids his trademark quad axel for a triple.

“I think there is the pressure to try to make the quad axel at every competition, but I always trust myself and always know what is best for me and my body,” said Malinin.

That means: “Why take an unnecessary risk if you are just so much better than anyone else in the field?” This means that Malinin’s next barrier breaking game, whether a quintuble jump or a quad quad combination, has to wait, even if the fans liked it earlier.

“I think now that I did the quad axel, they want to see a little more, bigger and better,” he said. “For me, since the Olympic Olympic (2026) are around the corner, I just want to be on the safe side for myself.

“But after the Olympic Games I will go ham.”

(For those who are not familiar with the slang gen z -expression, “went Ham” to let everything hang out.)

William Purnell-Mimagn pictures

In its 11th senior citizens at the age of 29, MA has set the perspective of having set his suprematism during his six years of national dominance against the Olympic champion Nathan Chen around 2022 and now seeing how Malinin claims when he claims a third party Title in a row in a row. The free skate finale is Sunday (at 4 p.m. ET, NBC and peacock).

“I don’t even consider it competition because I can’t achieve it,” said Ma. “It is an honor to only skate and be friends with two people who can see goats in their own way. They inspire me to push my old body to its limits. “

Malinin, who turned 20 in December, is the first to land a quad axel in the competition, who first lands six four -time jumps in a free skate to try all six quad species in a free skate. He is Sui generiswhich creates a unique series of expectations.

“It is a bit scary that I somehow have to push and see where I can take the sport a few years ago, where I would follow all these other skaters – Nathan Chen, Yuzuru Hanyu, Shoma Uno recently said in a media call.

Since his Malinin Quads series gives a considerable advantage of the underlying, especially in a free skate, it seems that error-free services such as Saturday make it unbeatable. He won seven direct competitions.

“I didn’t really think about it,” said Malinin. “I still have the feeling that I am not the best I can be. I have miles in front of you. “

Floppy-haired, baby-faced and pastures, to smile quickly and play with an audience that do not interfere physically, seem to be Malinin’s sporty flights of imagination like magic. He can immediately gather at full speed, and the tightness of his rotation on jumps makes it look like his body is a single linear element.

He realized that he cannot be what others may prefer – a skater with balletic skills. He chooses contemporary music and movements that reflect power more than delicacy.

“You could call it tricks or try to defy gravity or to create this completely new form of entertainment for the people who watch the sport,” he said.

He added striking abundance, such as the “Raspberry Twist”, a butterfly jump with a turn that contains several edge changes. On Saturday, Malinin’s execution was a sweet joy, with such a powerful start that he seemed to go in the air.

That was one reason why Malinin felt that he had played to “maximum ability”. After all, he is concerned with bringing sport to new heights.

Philip Hersh, who was treated with skating from characters at the last 12 Olympic Winter Games, makes a special contribution to the Nbcsports.com.

Ilia Malinin plans to carry out a backflip at Skate America after the skate officers had made it legal for the first time in almost 50 years.