'Quad God' Ilia Malinin triumphs in figure skating championships, Chock/Bates win seventh ice dance title

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Jan 10, 2026 - 23:20

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'Quad God' Ilia Malinin triumphs in figure skating championships, Chock/Bates win seventh ice dance title

Ilia Malinin, seen here on Thursday night, claimed another national title on Saturday. (Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

The Quad God is a national champion again. Next up: The Olympics.

Ilia Malinin captured his fourth consecutive national title at the 2026 U.S. Figure Skating Championships in St. Louis on Saturday, continuing a run that will see him named to one of the three men’s skating spots on Team USA.

Malinin dominated the men’s division, posting a free skate of 209.78 and a total score of 324.88. He left no doubt with his dominant free skate Saturday night, and will challenge for medals in Milan. Andrew Torgashev leaped up from fifth place after the short program on Thursday to finish second overall with a total score of 267.92.

Maxim Naumov, who skated with the vocal support and love of the St. Louis crowd, finished third overall with 249.16 points. Naumov lost both parents in the tragic plane crash that claimed so many in the skating community one year ago. He struggled slightly during his free skate routine, but nonetheless drew a standing ovation from the Enterprise Center crowd. And after Tomoki Hiwatashi, in second place after the short program, struggled in his free skate, Naumov was able to claim his first podium after three straight pewter-medal fourth-place finishes in the nationals.

Jason Brown, seeking his third Olympic berth, struggled in his free routine, finishing seventh overall (227.52 points), and will have an uphill fight to make the Olympic team.

Madison Chock and Evan Bates claimed their seventh national title in ice dance on Saturday. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

In ice dance, Madison Chock and Evan Bates continued their absolute dominance of the discipline, claiming their seventh straight U.S. title. Their victory put them past Meryl Davis and Charlie White for the most total ice dance national wins in the history of the event. Skating to a version of “Paint It, Black,” they unveiled a graceful, flamenco-inspired routine that easily clinched a seventh straight title with a score of 228.87.

Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik claimed the silver medal with a score of 213.65. Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko (206.95) finished in the bronze medal position, while Caroline Green and Michael Parsons (202.05) won the pewter medal.

U.S. Figure Skating will name the full Olympic roster on Sunday starting at 2 p.m. Eastern.