Figure skating-Malinin breaks free skate world record to win Skate Canada gold

American Ilia Malinin broke his own men's free skate world record to win gold at Skate Canada International in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, on Sunday.

The two-time world champion's spectacular performance earned him 228.97 points in the segment and he clinched victory by a massive margin of 76 points with an overall total of 333.81.

The crowd at SaskTel Centre leapt to their feet after the self-proclaimed "Quad God" delivered another masterful performance that included six gravity-defying quadruple jumps and a crowd-pleasing backflip.

The 20-year-old, who will be the favouite to win the gold medal at February's Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, surpassed his previous free skate mark of 227.79 set at the 2024 world championships. However, he fell short of Nathan Chen's combined total record of 335.30 points from the 2019 Grand Prix Final.

The win was Malinin's 12th straight at international events, securing his place at next month's Grand Prix Final in Nagoya, Japan.

Estonia's Aleksandr Selevko took silver with 257.21, boosting his case for the country's lone men's berth at the 2026 Olympics and earning Estonia their first men's singles Grand Prix medal.

Japan's Kao Miura snatched bronze with 253.69, edging compatriot Kazuki Tomono (251.46).

"I feel really satisfied with my program today," Malinin was quoted as saying by Olympics.com.

"It's one of the best programs I've done this season. I really worked on the cleanliness on the ice after Grand Prix de France, and I felt that out there today."

CANADIAN PAIRS TOP PODIUM

Home favourite ice dancers Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier were not at their best on Sunday and were eclipsed by Allison Reed and Saulius Ambrulevicius in the free dance but the Canadian duo still claimed gold with a