3-time world champion Ilia Malinin leads Skate America after short program

Ilia Malinin began his four-year road to Olympic redemption with a solid short program at Skate America on Friday night at Angel of the Wings Arena in Everett, Wash.

The three-time world champion, who was heavily favoured to win gold at the Milano-Cortina Games in February only to miss out on an individual medal altogether, scored 96.74 points in his Grand Prix season debut. That was enough for Malinin to easily beat out Sota Yamamoto of Japan, who was second with 91.29, and surprising Donovan Carrillo of Mexico, who was third with 86.49.

In the pairs short program, world champions Minerva Fabienne Hase and Nikita Volodin of Germany led with a score of 72.71 points. 

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The American duo of Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov were second with 71.85 while the Swiss team of Oxana Vouillamoz and Tom Bouvart were third with 70.63. The Winnipeg duo of Ava Kemp and Yohnatan Elizarov were fourth at 67.73.

Canada's Kemp, Elizarov sit 4th after personal best in short program at Skate America

Efimova and Mitrofanov, who married two years ago, are the two-time reigning U.S. champions. But they were unable to compete at the Olympics because the Finland-born Efimova was unable to gain her citizenship in time to compete in Milan.

They already are targeting the 2030 Winter Games in France.

“That was last season. We're very happy to start this season,” Mitrofanov said, “and be out there on the ice.”

German pair Hase, Volodin lead after short program at Skate America

So is the 21-year-old Malinin, going for his fourth Skate America title, who designed his short program as a tribute to those from the close-knit skating community who were killed in January 2025,