{"id":17775,"date":"2026-04-01T07:53:12","date_gmt":"2026-04-01T07:53:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/?p=17775"},"modified":"2026-04-01T07:53:12","modified_gmt":"2026-04-01T07:53:12","slug":"this-should-be-my-moment-so-why-does-it-feel-like-its-slipping-away-just-hours-after-his-third-world-title-ilia-malinins-victory-turned-into-a-shocking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/?p=17775","title":{"rendered":"THIS SHOULD BE MY MOMENT\u2026 SO WHY DOES IT FEEL LIKE IT\u2019S SLIPPING AWAY?\u2019 \u2014 JUST HOURS AFTER HIS THIRD WORLD TITLE, ILIA MALININ\u2019S VICTORY TURNED INTO A SHOCKING TWIST NO ONE SAW COMING\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Ilia Malinin has been at the center of the sports world over the last two months after representing the United States at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, where he won gold in the team competition. In a shocking turn of events, however, he failed to medal in the men\u2019s free skate \u2014 an event he was widely favored to win.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/preview.redd.it\/ilia-wins-best-costume-of-course-lol-v0-6sdubqb6e1sg1.jpg?width=960&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp&amp;s=0fdc271df1afd31418887f500276bad42aaf1699\" alt=\"Ilia wins best costume of course lol : r\/FigureSkating\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"wRHcyoxk\"><\/div>\n<p>Despite that disappointment, Malinin handled himself with class and had the opportunity to return to the ice at the ISU World Championships in Prague, Czechia on Saturday \u2014 a moment he fully capitalized on.<\/p>\n<div class=\"k6QZRsqz\"><\/div>\n<p>Malinin captured gold in the event, marking his third consecutive world title, and it wasn\u2019t particularly close. He posted a total score of 329.40, well ahead of Japan\u2019s Yuma Kagiyama, who finished second with a 306.67.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Watch his performance at Gala below<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Ilia MALININ (USA) | Exhibition Gala | ISU World Championships Prague 2026 | #FigureSkating\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/B0RHASGRJks?feature=oembed\" width=\"790\" height=\"444\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-origwidth=\"790\" data-origheight=\"444\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Just one day later, Malinin attended the ISU Figure Skating Awards for the season. After being nominated for several honors earlier this month, he was named the recipient of the Best Costume Award, with cameras capturing his reaction.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou guys should not be afraid to do what you love and do what really expresses yourself through artistry, through creativity, and of course, costumes,\u201d Malinin said in his acceptance speech.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/isudam.blob.core.windows.net\/isudamcontainer\/CMS\/editorimage\/JK1-58971774818871-6196.jpg\" alt=\"Winners celebrated at ISU Figure Skating Awards in Prague\" \/><\/p>\n<p>After winning the award, Malinin spoke to the media about what fashion means to him, something that has been evident in his performances over the years but was showcased on the biggest stage during the Olympics.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFashion is being unique,\u201d Malinin said. \u201cBeing able to wear whatever you want, and being able to make a statement.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/pbs.twimg.com\/media\/HEmoViOb0AAyq5M.jpg\" alt=\"Ilia Malinin with his &quot;Best Costume&quot; statuette at the 2026 ISU Skating Awards. \ud83d\udcf8 skatingoutloud\" \/><\/p>\n<h2 data-start=\"1430\" data-end=\"1493\"><strong data-start=\"1430\" data-end=\"1491\">Winners celebrated at ISU Figure Skating Awards in Prague<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p data-start=\"1495\" data-end=\"1863\">The ISU Figure Skating Awards 2026 in Prague brought together the skating community to celebrate the standout achievements of the 2025\/26 season. The ceremony honored performances, creativity, and dedication across all disciplines, while also recognizing the contributions of coaches, choreographers, and costume designers who help shape the sport\u2019s artistic identity.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1495\" data-end=\"1863\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/isudam.blob.core.windows.net\/isudamcontainer\/CMS\/editorimage\/20260329-ISU-Figure-Worlds-Prague-Skating-Awards-JM-00841774818861-0143.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1865\" data-end=\"2225\">Following more than 93,000 fan votes worldwide, a jury of figure skating experts determined the winners across key categories including Most Entertaining Program, Best Costume, Best Coach, and Best Choreographer. The event was hosted by Olympic medalists Ashley Wagner and Ben Agosto, who helped set the tone for a celebration of excellence on and off the ice.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1865\" data-end=\"2225\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/isudam.blob.core.windows.net\/isudamcontainer\/CMS\/editorimage\/20260329-ISU-Figure-Worlds-Prague-Skating-Awards-JM-00761774818812-8514.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2227\" data-end=\"2463\">The 2026 World Figure Skating Champions were also recognized during the ceremony: Kaori Sakamoto (Women), Ilia Malinin (Men), Minerva Fabienne Hase \/ Nikita Volodin (Pairs), and Laurence Fournier Beaudry \/ Guillaume Cizeron (Ice Dance).<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2227\" data-end=\"2463\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/isudam.blob.core.windows.net\/isudamcontainer\/CMS\/editorimage\/20260329-ISU-Figure-Worlds-Prague-Skating-Awards-JM-00811774818933-1705.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2465\" data-end=\"2644\">ISU President Jae Youl Kim praised the season, highlighting how athletes\u2019 performances and sportsmanship have inspired a growing global audience and brought new fans to the sport.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2646\" data-end=\"3007\">Among the other major awards, Japan\u2019s Yuma Kagiyama won Most Entertaining Program for his men\u2019s short program, praised for its blend of technical difficulty and expressive performance. Malinin\u2019s Best Costume Award recognized the originality of his free skating outfit, designed by Satomi Ito and noted for its strong connection to his program\u2019s artistic vision.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2646\" data-end=\"3007\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/isudam.blob.core.windows.net\/isudamcontainer\/CMS\/editorimage\/JK1-56861774818779-9464.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"3009\" data-end=\"3327\">Other honorees included Ami Nakai, who was named Best Newcomer after an impressive debut season highlighted by an Olympic bronze medal, and the ice dance duo Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron, who were named Skaters of the Year following a dominant campaign capped by Olympic and World Championship gold.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"3009\" data-end=\"3327\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/isudam.blob.core.windows.net\/isudamcontainer\/CMS\/editorimage\/JK1-65661774820436-3721.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"3329\" data-end=\"3551\">Phillip DiGuglielmo received Best Coach honors for guiding Alysa Liu to Olympic gold, while Beno\u00eet Richaud was recognized as Best Choreographer for his influential work across multiple elite programs throughout the season.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"3553\" data-end=\"3694\" data-is-last-node=\"\" data-is-only-node=\"\">The ceremony underscored not only competitive success but also the artistry, creativity, and collaboration that define modern figure skating.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ilia Malinin has been at the center of the sports world over the last two months after representing the United States at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":17777,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17775","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17775","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=17775"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17775\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17778,"href":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17775\/revisions\/17778"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/17777"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=17775"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=17775"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=17775"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}