BOSTON – Ilia Marinin walked towards the ice for his free skating at the World Championships, along with his conquered hero SW Walk.
He then backed up his bravery.
The 20-year-old from Fairfax, Virginia, defended his title on Saturday night, laying out another high-flying, high-energy program, winning a standing ovation inside TD Garden and a memorable home championship for the Americans.
Marinin was short on an quest for the entire season to land a record seven square jumps. But it was hardly important. He finished with a season-leading 318.56 points after free skating, then fell backwards and set up “I’m Not A Vampire” and scored his second gold medal of over 31 points.
“I was so happy that I was able to resolve this whole season to get to this moment,” Marinin said. “That means a lot to me.”
Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Shaydorov passed Yuma Kagiyama and finished with 287.47 points, while the Olympic silver medalist from Japan finished third with 278.19, while finishing with 287.47 points.
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“If at the beginning of the season, someone had asked me that I was on the world podium, I wouldn’t believe it,” Shaidorov said. “The season was tough, but at the same time it was a breakthrough. I’m so happy to be on the world podium with some amazing skaters like Ilia and Yuma. I want to continue moving forward now.”
Early in the evening, Madison Chock and Evan Bates became the first ice dancers to win the 30th consecutive world championship in nearly 30 years.
Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the United States will perform at the Ice Dance Free Dance Program at the World Figure Skating Championships held in Boston on March 29, 2025. Charles Krupa/AP Photo
They set the stage for Marinin to take part in the one-night American Gold Rush of Alisa Liu’s victory at the women’s event.
Marinin, who had a three-point cushion on top of Kawayama after his short program, vented his confidence as he settled on the ice for a warm-up. And then former Olympic ice dancer Ben Agost announced his name, and the second straight sold-out crowd at TD Garden prepares for his program, making the self-styled “quad god” really stoic.
The program itself? These days there are almost no kind of things that can be done.
Marinin smacked his first four quads, including Axel, whom he’d ever landed in the competition before his only real failure when he doubled Lutz. However, he stayed at that moment and finished the program to a roar of approval from home fans.
He was already a favorite to win gold at next year’s Milan Cortina Olympics.
Now, the question is whether someone else can compete with him.
“Obviously he’s on the top of the field right now,” said Nathan Chen, who won US gold at the 2022 Beijing Olympics before moving away from competitive sports. “No matter what he’s doing, it certainly works.”
The same can be said about ice dance chocks and Bates.
The longtime partner won Saturday night with 222.06 points, with Jill and Poirier taking silver for the second year in a row at 216.54. Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson took the podium third, winning world medals in the UK in all colours since Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean finished their four straight Ice Dance title runs in 1984.
Russia’s Oksana Griszk and Evgeni Platov were their final three consecutive wins, with their fourth consecutive win between 1994 and 1997.
“Arriving here, we weren’t thinking about three peats or any kind of title defense. It was an independent event,” Bates said. “We were as prepared as possible and skated as possible.”
Now Chock and Bates are ready to turn their attention to the Winter Olympics in February.
They previously held the biggest stage of the sport, and were part of the US team that won Team Gold in Beijing’s 2022 match. However, for all their success, Chock and Bates did not take the Olympic podium in the ice dance itself, finishing fourth three years ago.
“I think the Olympic season certainly weighs a different weight than the other three years,” Chock said. “You have this incredible opportunity to reach the whole world. It makes it really special as our voices amplify the ice and the offspring.”
Trips to Italy are also Marinin’s main focus. He left the team for Beijing, despite finishing second in the Nationals that year.
Now he is leading one of the most powerful American forces ever for the Olympics.
“My focus on the Olympics will begin at the beginning of next season when competitions begin to roll,” Marinin said. “That’s when I have to start a strategy and see how the program is and how the jump is going and make sure everything is comfortable before the Olympics.”
By Dave Skretta
