U.S. Figure Skater Ilia Malinin Shares Announcement After Winter Olympics

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Paolo Songco | Last updated Mar 25, 2026 8:32 AM ET

United States figure skater Ilia Malinin is now in Prague for the highly anticipated World Figure Skating Championships. This will be the 20-year-old’s first competition since the recently concluded 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.

Malinin enters the Worlds looking to redeem himself for his disastrous trip to the Winter Games. While the “Quad God” was able to win a gold medal with Team USA in the team competition, it is Malinin’s performance in the individual free skate that will be remembered for all the wrong reasons.

Malinin crumbled under the pressure to finish eighth. He fell way short of the lofty expectations the ice skating world had of him heading into the Olympics.

Despite the unfortunate turn of events in Milan, Malinin is still being recognized for what he did during the Games. The three-time Grand Prix Final champion was recently nominated for multiple honors in the ISU Figure Skating Awards 2026. The shortlist of finalists was officially announced on Tuesday.

Malinin took to social media to share the ISU’s announcement. He reposted his nomination as a Best Costume nominee via his Instagram stories.

Malinin’s costume for the men’s free skating at the Olympics, designed by Satomi Ito, is a finalist for the coveted award. He is vying for the title against Amber Glenn of the U.S. and Canadian ice skating pair Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier.

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Apart from Best Costume, Malinin’s short program routine in the Winter Games has also been named a finalist for Most Entertaining Program. Moreover, his coach, Shae-Lynn Bourne, has been shortlisted for Best Choreographer.

The winners of the ISU Awards will be announced on March 29, the last day of the World Championships. Malinin enters the competition as the two-time defending champion.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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