Boston’s TD Garden was loud. Like, really loud. If you weren't there in March 2025, you missed what might be the most dominant stretch of American skating in nearly two decades. Honestly, the world figure skating championships results basically flipped the script on everything we thought we knew about the road to the 2026 Winter Olympics.
We saw Ilia Malinin basically turn physics into a suggestion. We saw Alysa Liu complete a comeback that felt like a movie script. And Team USA walked away with three out of four gold medals. That hasn't happened since, well, forever. It was a massive statement on home ice.
The Quad God and the 31-Point Gap
Ilia Malinin didn't just win. He demolished the field.
He put up a total score of 318.56. To put that in perspective, he beat the silver medalist by more than 31 points. Most skaters fight for fractions of a point; Malinin is out here playing a different sport. His free skate to "I'm Not a Vampire" by Falling in Reverse was a clinic. He landed six quads. People keep waiting for him to hit seven—which he’s done in practice and tried at the Grand Prix Final—but even with "only" six, nobody could touch him.
He did hit the Quad Axel, though it was called a quarter under-rotated. Didn't matter. The crowd was on their feet before he even finished the program. He even threw in a backflip. Why? Because he could.
The Men’s Podium Shockers
While Ilia was in his own universe, the battle for the other medals was total chaos.
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- Mikhail Shaidorov (Kazakhstan): This was the upset of the week. He snatched the silver with 287.47 points. He used a quad Salchow-triple Axel sequence that most people can't even wrap their heads around. He’s the first Kazakh man to medal since the late Denis Ten back in 2015.
- Yuma Kagiyama (JPN): It was a nightmare night for Yuma. He was second after the short program but popped his opening quad attempt in the free. He ended up 10th in the free skate specifically, but his massive short program score saved him just enough to hang onto the bronze with a 278.19.
- Adam Siao Him Fa (FRA): He finished fourth, missing the podium by less than three points. If he hadn't struggled so much in the short program (where he was 9th), he probably would have been on that podium.
Alysa Liu’s Impossible Comeback
If you told a skating fan two years ago that Alysa Liu would be the 2025 World Champion, they’d have asked if you were feeling okay. She had retired. She was gone from the sport. Then she came back.
She didn't just return; she won the whole thing with 222.97 points. It’s the first time an American woman has won Worlds in 19 years. Think about that. Kimmie Meissner was the last one to do it back in 2006.
Liu’s short program to "Promise" by Laufey was haunting. It wasn't about the hardest jumps in the world—though she was rock solid—it was about the maturity. She looked like she actually enjoyed being out there.
How the Women’s Field Shook Out
Kaori Sakamoto was the heavy favorite for a four-peat. She’s been the queen of the sport for years. But a 5th place finish in the short program left her with too much ground to cover. She fought back to take the silver (217.98), but the gap was too wide.
Mone Chiba from Japan took the bronze (215.24), proving that Japan’s depth is still terrifying. Meanwhile, Isabeau Levito and Amber Glenn finished 4th and 5th. It was a massive points haul for the US women, securing those three spots for the upcoming Olympics.
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Ice Dance and the Three-Peat
Madison Chock and Evan Bates are officially legends. They won their third straight world title in Boston, and they did it as newlyweds. They scored 222.06 total.
They are now the most decorated U.S. ice dance team in history. Their free dance was basically a masterclass in "program components"—the artistry stuff that makes casual viewers say "wow." They earned Level 4s on almost every element.
The silver went to Canada's Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier (216.54), who have been chasing Chock and Bates for what feels like an eternity. Great Britain’s Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson took the bronze (207.11), bringing some serious energy to the TD Garden ice.
The Pairs Event: A Tight Squeeze
Pairs was the only event where the U.S. didn't take the gold. That went to Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara from Japan.
It was close. Really close.
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- Miura/Kihara (JPN): 219.79
- Hase/Volodin (GER): 219.08
- Conti/Macii (ITA): 210.47
The Germans actually won the free skate portion, but Miura and Kihara’s lead from the short program was enough to hold them off by less than a point. Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps, the 2024 champs, had a rough short program that put them in 7th, but they fought back to 5th overall. At 41, Deanna is still outskating people half her age. It's wild.
What These World Figure Skating Championships Results Mean for 2026
The world figure skating championships results from Boston aren't just scores on a page. They are a roadmap for the Milano Cortina Olympics.
First off, the "Malinin Era" is in full swing. Unless someone else starts landing five or six quads with high execution, everyone else is skating for silver. Second, the U.S. Women are back. Between Liu, Levito, and Glenn, the American team is as strong as it’s been since the 90s.
Takeaways for the Fans
- The Tech vs. Art Debate: It’s still alive. Malinin wins on tech; Liu wins on a mix of both. The judges are rewarding consistency and "flow" more than they used to, but you still need the big jumps to stay in the conversation.
- Olympic Quotas: Because of these results, the U.S. and Japan have maxed out their entries for the Olympics. Expect the internal competition at the 2026 Nationals to be a bloodbath.
- The "Quad Axel" Factor: It’s no longer a myth. It’s a standard part of Malinin’s arsenal. Every other man in the top ten is now forced to decide: do I try to learn it, or do I try to beat him with perfect artistry?
If you want to keep up with the next season, watch the Grand Prix assignments closely. The momentum from Boston is going to carry straight into the Olympic qualifiers. Keep an eye on Mikhail Shaidorov; he’s no longer a "dark horse." He’s a contender. And for the women, keep watching Alysa Liu's program components—if she stays this consistent, she’s the Olympic gold favorite.
To stay ahead of the curve, you should look into the 2025-2026 ISU Grand Prix schedule. These skaters will be testing their Olympic programs starting in October. Pay close attention to any changes in Malinin's layout—if he finally lands that seven-quad program cleanly, the world record will be shattered again.