Post by Admin on Mar 21, 2023 2:07:02 GMT
More Fireworks From The “Quad God”
Defending world champion Shoma Uno is the odds-on favorite for gold in men’s singles. The Japanese skater, undefeated since winning individual bronze at the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022, has all the tools: a portfolio of quadruple jumps, plus top program component scores for composition, presentation and skating skills.
Behind Uno, it’s a scramble, and Ilia Malinin — the self-anointed “quad god” who won his first U.S. title in San Jose in January — figures to be right in the mix. His season’s best total score (280.37) is second only to Uno’s (304.46).
Malinin, 18, was disappointed with his ninth-place finish at the world championships last season, calling his error-riddled free skate “just a disaster.” A year later, although still the youngest man in the field, he has far more experience — as well as his quad axel, the four-and-a-half revolution jump he has landed cleanly three times in international competition this season. It is far from his only weapon: Malinin has four other quads and may try to land six quads total in his free skate.
If the high school senior from Vienna, Virginia, has an Achilles’ heel, it’s putting out strong programs back-to-back. In all four of his international events this season, Malinin fell or stumbled badly on at least one of the jumps in his short program, forcing him to come from behind to win a medal. At the U.S. Championships in San Jose, California, in January, his short program was stellar — but he fell on a quad axel in his free skate and reduced two other quads to doubles, placing second in that segment to unheralded Andrew Torgashev.
“I was really so confident, and I think I sort of over-thought everything and tried to get ahead of myself,” Malinin told reporters after his free. “But I think it’s alright, you always learn from your experiences and there’s always still the rest of the season to come.”
Malinin will likely need two stellar outings to have any hope of challenging Uno for gold, but he looks strong for the podium. Other challengers include Sota Yamamoto of Japan, second to Uno at the Grand Prix Final; European champion Adam Siao Him Fa of France; Japan’s Kazuki Tomono, silver medalist at Four Continents; and Cha Jun-hwan of South Korea. Popular Keegan Messing is the sentimental favorite; the two-time Canadian champion has announced this will be his final eligible competition.
Another fan favorite, two-time U.S. Olympian Jason Brown, competes at his first worlds since 2021, when he placed seventh. Brown skipped last fall’s Grand Prix season but returned to competition at the U.S. Championships, winning silver behind Malinin. He plans to continue a hybrid career of show skating and competition.
“If I can have that balance of constantly performing and being out in these shows, and pushing myself artistically, and still get to compete at events — you know, I’m still competitive,” Brown, 28, said. “I’m always going to want to be the best I can be, but at this stage, in what you call ‘the Ilia Malinin era,’ I can’t keep up technically. I can keep up in my own way.”
Defending world champion Shoma Uno is the odds-on favorite for gold in men’s singles. The Japanese skater, undefeated since winning individual bronze at the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022, has all the tools: a portfolio of quadruple jumps, plus top program component scores for composition, presentation and skating skills.
Behind Uno, it’s a scramble, and Ilia Malinin — the self-anointed “quad god” who won his first U.S. title in San Jose in January — figures to be right in the mix. His season’s best total score (280.37) is second only to Uno’s (304.46).
Malinin, 18, was disappointed with his ninth-place finish at the world championships last season, calling his error-riddled free skate “just a disaster.” A year later, although still the youngest man in the field, he has far more experience — as well as his quad axel, the four-and-a-half revolution jump he has landed cleanly three times in international competition this season. It is far from his only weapon: Malinin has four other quads and may try to land six quads total in his free skate.
If the high school senior from Vienna, Virginia, has an Achilles’ heel, it’s putting out strong programs back-to-back. In all four of his international events this season, Malinin fell or stumbled badly on at least one of the jumps in his short program, forcing him to come from behind to win a medal. At the U.S. Championships in San Jose, California, in January, his short program was stellar — but he fell on a quad axel in his free skate and reduced two other quads to doubles, placing second in that segment to unheralded Andrew Torgashev.
“I was really so confident, and I think I sort of over-thought everything and tried to get ahead of myself,” Malinin told reporters after his free. “But I think it’s alright, you always learn from your experiences and there’s always still the rest of the season to come.”
Malinin will likely need two stellar outings to have any hope of challenging Uno for gold, but he looks strong for the podium. Other challengers include Sota Yamamoto of Japan, second to Uno at the Grand Prix Final; European champion Adam Siao Him Fa of France; Japan’s Kazuki Tomono, silver medalist at Four Continents; and Cha Jun-hwan of South Korea. Popular Keegan Messing is the sentimental favorite; the two-time Canadian champion has announced this will be his final eligible competition.
Another fan favorite, two-time U.S. Olympian Jason Brown, competes at his first worlds since 2021, when he placed seventh. Brown skipped last fall’s Grand Prix season but returned to competition at the U.S. Championships, winning silver behind Malinin. He plans to continue a hybrid career of show skating and competition.
“If I can have that balance of constantly performing and being out in these shows, and pushing myself artistically, and still get to compete at events — you know, I’m still competitive,” Brown, 28, said. “I’m always going to want to be the best I can be, but at this stage, in what you call ‘the Ilia Malinin era,’ I can’t keep up technically. I can keep up in my own way.”