For Ilia Malinin and Amber Glenn, figure skating worlds bring a fresh start

**Ilia Malinin Amber Glenn: U.S. skaters chase world titles in Boston**

Ilia Malinin and Amber Glenn will lead the United States team at the World Figure Skating Championships that begin Wednesday in Boston.

Both skaters enter as national champions seeking their first world titles, organizers confirmed.

Malinin, 20, landed the first quadruple axel in competition history during his 2022 victory at Skate America. Glenn, 24, claimed her first U.S. national championship in January after a decade on the senior circuit.

The championships mark the final major competition before the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics. Results will determine how many entries each country receives for the Winter Games.

Malinin told reporters Tuesday he has refined his quad axel technique since winning his second consecutive national title in January. The Virginia native plans to include the jump in both his short and free programs at TD Garden.

“I’ve been working on making it more consistent,” Malinin said during a practice session. “The goal is to have it ready for both programs.”

Glenn arrives in Boston after defeating longtime rival Isabeau Levito at nationals. The Texas native’s victory ended a streak of near-misses at the U.S. championships dating to 2014.

“This season has been about proving I can compete with the best,” Glenn said. “Worlds is another opportunity to show that.”

Russian skaters will miss the competition for the third consecutive year due to sanctions related to the Ukraine conflict. The absence removes reigning women’s world champion Anna Shcherbakova and pairs team Anastasia Mishina and Aleksandr Galliamov from medal contention.

Japan’s Kaori Sakamoto seeks her third consecutive world title in the women’s event. The 24-year-old Olympic bronze medalist won the season’s Grand Prix Final in December.

“Sakamoto is the favorite until someone beats her,” NBC skating analyst Tara Lipinski said during a broadcast preview. “Her consistency separates her from the field.”

The men’s competition features a potential showdown between Malinin and Japan’s Shoma Uno. The Olympic silver medalist withdrew from January’s national championships with an ankle injury but returned to win the Four Continents title last month.

Uno told Japanese media his training has progressed without setbacks. “The ankle feels strong now,” he said through a translator. “I’m ready to challenge for the title.”

American ice dancers Madison Chock and Evan Bates target their second world title after winning in 2023. The husband-wife team recovered from a December concussion that forced them to withdraw from nationals.

“We’ve fully healed and trained without restrictions,” Bates said. “The timing worked out for us to be ready here.”

Television ratings for figure skating have declined in recent Olympic cycles. NBC Sports reported average viewership for January’s nationals dropped 18 percent from 2023 levels to 3.2 million viewers across four nights.

The International Skating Union approved several format changes for the 2026 Olympics. The team event will now conclude the program instead of opening the competition, officials announced in February.

Boston last hosted the world championships in 2016. The event generated an estimated $68 million in economic impact for the city, according to a Massachusetts tourism study.

Ticket sales for this year’s competition have lagged behind organizers’ projections. TD Garden will operate at approximately 70 percent capacity for most sessions, venue officials confirmed Tuesday.

American skaters have claimed only three world titles since 2018. Nathan Chen won the men’s competition in 2022, while Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier captured pairs gold that same year.

Background

The World Figure Skating Championships began in 1896 in Saint Petersburg, Russia, making it one of the oldest annual sporting events. The competition predates the modern Olympic Games by two years. American skaters dominated the event during the 1950s and 1960s, when Dick Button and Carol Heiss claimed multiple titles. Recent decades have seen increased competition from Asian and European nations, particularly Japan, Russia, and South Korea.

The quad axel represents figure skating’s most technically demanding jump. The maneuver requires 4.5 rotations in the air, half-rotation more than other quadruple jumps. Malinin became the first skater to land it in competition at the 2022 CS U.S. Classic. The jump carries a base value of 15 points under current judging standards, the highest of any single element in men’s skating.

What’s Next

Medal events begin Thursday with the pairs short program. The competition concludes next Sunday with the women’s free skate. Results will determine preliminary entries for the 2026 Olympics, with countries earning additional spots based on cumulative placement points. The ISU will announce host cities for the 2025 and 2026 world championships during this week’s council meetings.

The championships serve as the final major event of the 2023-24 skating season. Athletes will then enter a reduced competition schedule ahead of the Olympic year. Coaches expect most skaters to debut new programs at Challenger Series events beginning in September.