The International Skating Union might be bringing in multiple new changes. For example, the number of jumping elements in the Free Program is expected to be reduced from seven to six. There were also talks about reduced warm-ups and harsher penalties for falls. But not everyone is on board, especially Ilia Malinin.

After winning bronze at the World Figure Skating Championships, Ilia Malinin made his stance clear, raising concerns about how these changes could impact both athletes and the sport itself.

“I wanna be blatantly honest with these rules….looking at the specifics of these changes, I think it really takes away the level of competition, the level of things we have developed as skaters over the years…” he remarked.

“Especially from an audience perspective as well, they’ve gotten used to these rules…and for all of a sudden to have these changes, the audience will have to adapt now and to realize what change then that sometimes can throw all of us off.

“For us [athletes], too, it changes how we train completely. For example, they want to change from seven jumps to six jumps. We have to set up our programs completely differently.”

He cited the example of last season, when the confusion created problems for him: “I personally had problems with having to go from 6 jumps to 7 jumps, and that honestly caused me a lot of problems.”

Thus, Malinin suggested, “I think that the ISU should really listen to the athletes because, to be honest, we’re the reason ISU is blowing up. Without the skaters, the ISU would not be able to have all of us, and this recognition. So that’s, that’s what I think about, and I think the ISU should really reconsider all of these changes.”

For those unaware, the proposed changes are still under discussion and have yet to be ratified by the 14-member council. If approved, they would take effect in the 2027–2028 season and, as reported, are being spearheaded by ISU President Jae Youl Kim of South Korea.

The scoring system isn’t the only task on their agenda, with proposed adjustments to the calendar, scheduling, warm-ups, and more. However, Malinin voiced his disapproval, saying he views figure skating as a blend of artistry and athleticism.

That debate didn’t seem to affect him this time, as the 21-year-old delivered one of his most commanding free programs. Nor has it in the past.

Ilia Malinin first stepped onto the World Championships stage in 2022, just a rising teen testing his edges among the best. Two years later, he claimed his first gold in 2024, and he hasn’t looked back since. The 21-year-old now has three world titles, a run that’s turning heads across the skating world.

He’s closing in on rare company, too. Michelle Kwan’s five gold medals from 1996 to 2003 remain the American benchmark across all disciplines, but Malinin’s pace suggests he’s not far behind.

Following this resurgence since his setback at the Olympics, the question now isn’t just how high he can jump, but how far he plans to glide into figure skating history.

Ilia Malinin reflects on the ‘easier’ World Championships he’s performed in

His performance this time spoke for itself, as the American posted a 218.11 in the free skate to finish with a total of 329.40 points. He ended nearly 23 points ahead of runner-up Yuma Kagiyama (306.67) and more than double that margin ahead of third-place Shun Sato (288.54).

Even then, that was well below Malinin’s best score from the 2025 Grand Prix Final, when he landed a historic seven quadruple jumps. But this probably mattered more to the figure skater after the Olympics, and Malinin attested to that.

“This was probably one of the easier world championships I’ve been to, just because of the amount of pressure I had at the Olympics and going here, I felt like it was almost no pressure at all,” Malinin said, as per Olympics.com.

“I’ve just completely blocked out all the expectations, all the pressure that people put on me, and I was really here just to skate for myself and enjoy every moment of these world championships, and I think I did exactly that.”

He appeared more relaxed on the ice, even with a more conservative routine compared to his spectacular Grand Prix performance. Malinin completed five quadruple jumps and executed his program nearly flawlessly, with the only blemish being a slight under-rotation on a quad Lutz combination.

The skate mirrored his strong showing in the short program earlier at the World Championships, where he earned a personal best of 111.29 points.

It ensured that he became the first man to win three consecutive world titles after Nathan Chen, who won it in 2018, 2019, and 2021 (2020 was canceled due to the pandemic). Not to mention, it ensured that Ilia Malinin ended his last competition of the season on a high, giving him a chance to relax ahead of the Stars on Ice tour from April 16.