The American, who, despite his young age, is already known as the ‘Quad God’, had an electrifying debut at the Lombardia Trophy, delivering a flawless show that dominated a strong Japanese field, with three finishing in the top five. With his sights set on the Winter Games 2026, he keeps improving.
wintersportsnews: The 2024 Lombardia Trophy has witnessed an impressive season debut from the young American prodigy Ilia Malinin, who seems determined to leave no doubt about his status as world champion. On Friday, 13th September, in Bergamo, Italy, Malinin dazzled the audience and judges with a short program performance that earned him a new personal best score of 107.25 points.
At just 19 years old, and following his world title win in March, Malinin proved that his technical dominance remains unshakeable. But, beyond that, he hinted at clear artistic growth. “I’m still trying to find my own style on the ice,” the young skater had said in a previous interview with Olympics.com, reflecting his perfectionist approach. However, after his on-ice performance, it appears he’s getting closer to finding it.
The Virginia native, born in 2004, opened his routine with a quad flip that left the crowd in awe. From there, his technical execution was simply masterful: a flawless triple Axel and a complex combination of quad Lutz and triple toe loop that propelled the American to the top of the leaderboard with a significant lead. His timing with the music was nearly perfect, complementing his technical prowess with an artistic level that has noticeably improved in recent months.
Despite Malinin’s stellar recital, Japan’s Kagiyama Yuma, who claimed his third world silver medal in March, didn’t make it easy. Kagiyama, skating to Garou’s version of “The Sound of Silence,” earned a strong score of 98.68 points. However, a slight misstep on his opening quad Salchow left him trailing by more than eight points behind the American. Nonetheless, his routine was solid and elegant, keeping him in contention heading into the free program.
Another Japanese skater, Shun Sato, also shone in the final group. The Four Continents silver medalist executed one of the day’s most technically complex routines, including a quad Lutz, quad toe loop-triple toe loop combination, and a solid triple Axel. His final score of 98.39 secured him a well-deserved third place, just shy of his personal best.
These three skaters have created a significant gap between themselves and the rest of the competitors, setting the stage for an exciting showdown in the free program. Nika Egadze from Georgia sits in fourth place with 76.35 points, while Japan’s Miura Kao, the 2023 junior world champion, rounds out the top five with a score of 76.42. Japan’s dominance has been evident, with three of its representatives finishing in the top five, reinforcing the country’s status as a global force in men’s figure skating.
The competition will resume on Sunday with the free program, where Malinin, Kagiyama, and Sato will look to solidify their supremacy. Malinin enters as the favourite, but as always in figure skating, nothing is certain. Will the ‘Quad God’ hold on to his lead, or will a surprise be in store in the final stretch? Everything remains up in the air.
