Ilia Malinin led the short program at the figure skating world championships with a score of 111.29, showcasing his skills after an Olympic setback. Known as the Quad God, he opened with a quad flip and a combination of quad lutz and triple toe loop. French skater Adam Siao Him Fa followed with a strong performance, scoring 101.85. Malinin's lead of over nine points positions him favorably for the free skate. Despite past Olympic struggles, he demonstrated resilience and skill in Prague.
"Malinin, sporting a new haircut, gave fans what they expected from the defending two-time world champion at O2 Arena in Prague. The performance showed the Olympic failure was behind him."
"Known as the Quad God, Malinin opened with a quad flip and a combination of quad lutz and a triple toe loop. The only skater to have successfully landed a quad axel in competition performed only a triple version of his trademark jump."
"Malinin helped the US win the team gold in Milan and was heavily favored to win individual gold with an unrivaled program. His five-point lead over Kagiyama and Siao after the short program seemed insurmountable."
"The nerves just went, so overwhelming, he said at the time, and especially going into that starting pose, I just felt like all the traumatic moments of my life really just started flooding my head."
Read at www.theguardian.com
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