Ilia Malinin flies into lead at Skate Canada, on verge of 12th consecutive international win
Ilia Malinin delivered an electrifying performance on Saturday, November 1, at the 2025 Skate Canada International held in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, establishing a commanding 12-point lead after the men’s short program.
The two-time and reigning world champion stunned the audience with a score of 104.84, bringing him tantalizingly close to securing his 12th international victory in a row, a streak that began during the 2023 Grand Prix season.
A win in Canada will not only cement his position as a frontrunner but will also solidify his spot at the Grand Prix Final scheduled next month in Nagoya, Japan, where he aims to defend his title as the reigning champion.
“I feel overall pretty good about my performance today,” the 20-year-old Malinin stated in a post-performance interview. “Compared to Grand Prix France, this experience was far better, and I felt a lot more stable on the ice.”
Trailing behind Malinin, Japan’s Tomono Kazuki secured the second position with a score of 92.07, closely followed by Aleksandr Selevko of Estonia, who earned a third-place score of 91.28.
Completing the top five were Miura Kao at 89.80 and Kévin Aymoz at 87.46.
Malinin began the Olympic season with a dominating 40-point victory at Grand Prix de France earlier this month, admitting prior to Skate Canada that he was skating at “85 percent” following a brief training stint in Virginia.
During his show-stopping short program, “The Lost Crown,” Malinin executed quadruple flips, a triple Axel, and a quad Lutz-triple toe-loop combination. However, he faced scrutiny with an unclear edge on his Lutz take-off, which led to the lowest GOE (Grade of Execution) on his scorecard.
While Malinin is nearly guaranteed a spot on the U.S. Olympic team for Milan Cortina 2026, both Kazuki and Selevko demonstrated strong performances, helping their cases for selection. The Japanese men’s team is set to send three athletes, led by Olympic and World medallist Kagiyama Yuma.
Tomono, a seasoned competitor and four-time Grand Prix medallist, expressed determination, stating, “I was able to stay composed. I know I can find more speed.” Meanwhile, Selevko eagerly seeks his first Grand Prix medal for Estonia, eyeing a historic achievement in his country’s figure skating narrative.
As the competition heats up, all eyes will be on these talented athletes navigating their paths toward Olympic glory.
