Keeping up with the Olympians in world championship men’s short program ice skating

By Danielle Cherry

“Ice, Ice baby.” 

The lyrics couldn’t be more accurate to describe the competitive atmosphere surrounding ice skating at this year’s World Championships for International Figure Skating (ISU). It’s been a month since the Olympics were held in Italy, with the athletes ready to re-lace their skates and enter the ice, despite the hardships they faced in Malino Cortina. 

With the men’s short program following the women’s, all eyes were on the Olympic medalists to see if their victories were really well deserved. As the men glide onto the ice, their technical mastery of lutzes (jumps) and limb-defining poses is scrutinized by judges—all to win gold and move on to the free program.  

If you didn’t follow the Olympics (shame on you), you wouldn’t know that ice skating is scored with slightly biased judging. Unlike sports like basketball, where a foul is, mostly, a foul; skating is scored through skill execution and overall performance style. Each skater receives a base level technical score, then with performative skills added to it. 

As the competition began, new, no-name skaters started the program and debuted their skills at Worlds for the first time. The old adage “save the best for last” is exactly what the figure skating world believes, with hard-hitters like Ilian Malinin and Yuma Kagiyama being the last blades to touch the ice. 

Olympians’ faces started reappearing, with Daniel Grassl, reminding everyone that a hard-hitting performance comes from the technicality of each jump. Grassl skated with such grace, his form paired with the classical music choice standing in stark contrast to many of the other athletes. The music brought a striking level of emotionality to the skate. 

A major upset occurred as Yuma Kagiyama took the ice for Japan. Known for his perfect slicing into every jump, the young skater was here to face his biggest competition: USA figure skater Malinin. His desire spun out from under him as his foot buckled, sending what was a perfectly tight spinning lutz crashing to the ground. 

Breathing stopped, as the audience wondered what he would do in response to a terrifying landing. Without missing a beat, Kagiyama continued his routine as if nothing had happened, finishing his program without a hint that a fall had occurred. He showed incredible mental resilience despite a rattling fall, and executed every other jump with picture-perfect accuracy, placing sixth overall despite the mishap. 

In terms of musical choice for a skate, Michel Jackson is never a voice I would have expected to hear, yet no other music could have contained the sheer charisma in Aleksandr Selevko’s performance. Everything from his (certainly not Cedarville-approved) outfit to bold performance made his skate one that jumps out. Selevko came out with the intention of having fun, and his calmness on the ice gave him the edge he needed. 

With a flawless performance and dance style that couldn’t have been more appropriate to the M.J. theme, dare I say that Selevko stole the show. He made history for Estonia—being the first skater from his country to win in ice skating, not only on the European level, but now at Worlds, coming in third over projected winners like Kagiyama and Shun Soto.   

Speaking of show stealers, Malinin has a habit of capturing the attention of everyone in the crowd. As the 21-year-old skater ran out onto the ice, even the commentators knew to close their mouths to let the roar of the crowd welcome him.  

Going into the Olympics, Malinin was projected to win every event he skated in. But his final program went horribly, spinning out of control, missing three out of his four jumping passes. All anyone could say about the astonishing performance was “that is so disappointing for him.”

Malinin’s skating journey is one of mental struggles and intense pressure, something he has willingly shared about online. With pressure from the world on his shoulders, Malinin came into this skate with these words as his motto:

“You learn a lot more from failure than you do winning,” Malinin said on Instagram.

All eyes were on him as he stepped into the rink, thoughts questioning if the Quadgod was really worthy of the title. Despite the pressure to win, Malinin’s demeanor on the ice was serene, embodying what he learned at the Olympics.

It’s no wonder Malinin is the best skater in the world—with a name like Quadgod—not only is he able to land a backflip on ice, but he is the only skater in the world able to do the treacherous quad axle jumping pass. 

Skating a flawless program, the grin on his face was enough to tell everyone the Quadgod never really left—breaking his own ISU record, setting his new standard at 111 total points. 

Finishing out the World Championship, each Olympian had the chance to highlight their unique skills. As the season comes to an end, the skaters can finally rest, knowing they have given each competition their all. Just you wait, because next year’s skating season is going to be cutting-edge. 

Danielle Cherry is a sophomore communication major and writer for Cedars A&E and Sports. She is a Missionary Kid from Germany who has become wildly obsessed with competitive ice skating. 

Photos courtesy of ISU World Skating Championships and the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics