World champion Ilia Malinin claimed the Skate America title once again on Sunday, triumphing for the third year in a row. Despite facing an early error in his routine, he adeptly adjusted his free skate and concluded his performance with a backflip, a maneuver that had previously been prohibited in competitions until this season.
Malinin accumulated a total of 290.12 points, surpassing Kevin Aymoz of France, who achieved a personal best of 282.88 points. Aymoz’s stellar performance earned him a warm standing ovation from the audience at the Credit Union of Texas Event Center in Allen, Texas.
Japan’s Kao Miura, who had been in second place after the short program, finished third with a total of 278.67 points. Malinin, the reigning two-time U.S. champion, shared that stepping onto the ice felt particularly daunting this time, stating, “It was a pretty challenging moment for me, just stepping on the ice. I felt way more nervous than usual. That may have played a part in the whole program.” He is already being prominently regarded as a leading contender for the gold at the upcoming 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.
The fate of the ice dance competition was to be determined later in the day, as reigning world champions Madison Chock and Evan Bates were trailing behind Britain’s Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson after the rhythm dance segment.
Malinin and Miura were closely matched after the short programs, separated by just 0.15 points. Aymoz, however, emerged as a strong contender for the top position. The 27-year-old French skater, who had a challenging previous season, successfully executed two quads without any errors, leading to a score of 190.84 points—the highest of the free skate performances—allowing him to take the lead.
Nika Egadze of Georgia followed on the ice but faced difficulties, falling on his opening quad lutz and stumbling on his quad salchow, which eliminated his chances for a medal. He concluded his performance in fourth place with 261.71 points.
Miura, a 19-year-old former world junior champion, showcased three quad jumps during his routine set to “The Umbrellas of Cherbourg,” a famous 1964 musical. Unfortunately, he lost points due to an under-rotated triple axel and issues during a step sequence that preceded a quad toe loop-triple toe loop combination.
Malinin was the last skater to take the ice and performed to “I’m Not a Vampire” by the band Falling In Reverse. He started off strong with a flawless quad flip followed by a triple axel, maintaining his status as the only skater to land the quad version in competition. However, he did falter by doubling a planned quad loop, prompting him to make real-time adjustments during the second half of his performance to recover lost points.
After briefly placing his hand down on a triple lutz, Malinin successfully executed a quad toe loop-triple toe loop combination and a quad salchow-triple axel sequence, both of which significantly boosted his technical score. His routine concluded spectacularly with the backflip, an anticipated move that ignited excitement in the crowd as his performance ended amidst a shower of stuffed animals thrown onto the ice.
Reflecting on his early mistake, Malinin noted the challenge of focusing in the middle of his routine, stating, “It was really hard for me in the middle of the program to think what I have to do — what I need to do. I just went full autopilot through there and I’m glad I made it out.”