HALIFAX — When Ilia Malinin stunned the crowd with his performance at the World Championships in Montreal last March, he left the competition with more than a gold medal around his neck.

The American figure skating star also came away with a new idea of ​​the heights he could reach.

“Before, I wasn’t really sure about my skill level and what I could do,” Malinin said. “But now I’m starting to really understand.”

If Malinin only realizes this now, his competitors should be worried. He landed six quad jumps – including his all-time quad axel – to post a record free skate in Montreal.

The 19-year-old phenom, returning north of the border at Skate Canada International this weekend, revealed after the world championships that he was suffering from a left foot injury that nearly kept him from competing in the competition.

“I wasn’t even sure I was going to go,” he said. “So I congratulate myself during all of this, three or four weeks before and at the world championships. It shows how strong I am as a person and internally.

“And since then, I have acquired a lot more discipline and energy to continue to surpass myself.”

But this historic performance comes with increased expectations that Malinin is still learning to manage.

He felt it last week at Skate America, where he had to change his free skate on the fly due to an early mistake, although he still won his third straight title.

Now in Halifax for his second Grand Prix after a very quick change between competitions, he’s feeling it again.

“I feel a little more pressure as world champion,” Malinin said. “I’ll have to try and find a new tactic to accomplish this so I don’t feel as pressured or nervous.”

Another thing Malinin is working on is his artistry. The ‘Quad God’s’ technical capabilities are unmatched on an icy surface, but he recognizes that other areas need improvement.

“This year, I think the main goal was to try to do something outside of my box, to really try to get that artistry and creativity and really stick to that brand of components,” he said.

Malinin is not only back on Canadian soil, but he is returning to a place that holds an important place in his family’s history.

Malinin’s mother, Tatiana Malinin, and father, Roman Skorniakov, competed for Uzbekistan at the inaugural Four Continents Championships in Halifax in 1999.

Malinin learned only a few days ago that his mother had won gold on the same ice where he hopes to triumph.

“We were in the car and they were like, ‘Oh, I competed here and so long ago,’” he said. “It’s pretty cool. I feel like it’s kind of a historic place.

“I guess it was planned when I first started getting into figure skating, that over time I would start to be in the same place where my parents skated. For them, it could be like a moment nice deja vu.”

BETTER START

Canadian Roman Sadovsky is already off to a better start this season, but the bar was low after a strange series of events derailed the first half of last season.

The 25-year-old men’s skater started last season with an ankle injury. He then missed an event because he lost his luggage, including his skates, while traveling to the Warsaw Cup, and another when his plane was unable to land due to a storm of snow. He didn’t compete in a full competition until the national championships in January.

This season, he has two competitions under his belt for Skate Canada.

“We’re already about 10 steps ahead of last season, so that’s pretty exciting,” he said. “The goal was just to get more exposure and development out of the competition, instead of just showing up at nationals all at once.”

BACKFLIPS?

This season, backflips are no longer banned by the International Skating Union. Malinin has already added them to his repertoire, and a quick survey of Canadian skaters shows others could follow suit.

“I always wanted to do it,” said Canadian champion Kaiya Ruiter. “Even just for a show, like OK, yeah, in an exhibition, I want to try that. But now that it’s in the rules, go for it!”

Sadkovsky would also like to learn one, but he’s not sure he’ll succeed with his six-foot-one frame that can fold backwards safely in competition.

“I don’t know, I feel like I’m a little big,” he said. “I’ll wait for now.

“I don’t think we’re going to see a huge increase in the number of people doing it, maybe for the first year or two, and then it’ll stop – people will say ‘yeah, backflips. ‘”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published October 25, 2024.

Daniel Rainbird, The Canadian Press