Boston – Alysa Liu could not believe it.
As she sat on a white couch, she lined her two coaches and with the eyes of all in the garden of TD firmly on her, she said – or her mouth, it wasn’t possible to hear much with the enthusiastic noise of the crowd vibrating around the arena – “What?” In distrust. Her free of charge the skate score was just announced the crowd – 148.39 for a total score of 222.97 – and the realization immediately hit it.
She was the world champion 2025.
The nineteen -year -old then audibly said, “What the hell?” With a wide, expressive smile, still in the apparent shock of what she did.
Liu’s triumph was perhaps the most anticipated result of an unforgettable weekend. In addition to the Knock-Ferry of the Triple World Champion Kaori Sakamoto of Japan and becoming the first American woman to win the title since 2006, Liu did less than a year after returning to the sport after a two-year retirement.
“I’m not going to lie, it’s a crazy story,” Liu said at a television moment later. “I don’t know how I came back to be the world champion.”
Alysa Liu is gold. ✨
Experience her stellar free skates, which since 2006 has secured the world’s first title for Singly skaters. pic.twitter.com/z5dpg3x9o
– NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@nbcolympics) 29. March 2025
And Liu’s victory was just the beginning of the dominant weekend for the production of a statement from an American contingent, who together showed that after giving up this statement in recent years have again been the highest skating power in the world. On Saturday afternoon, Madison Chock and Evan Bates captured their third World Championship in the Ice Ao Dance Dance Several hours later Ilia Malinin closed this event-more highly flying performance that became well-known-to Get your second consecutive title as a world world champion.
For the first time in history, Americans won three of the four world titles at one world championship.
“I feel very happy to be one of the three winning (before) home crowd in America,” Malinin said on Saturday evening. “I’m really proud of the team we managed to build.”
Before the end of the skate Malinin, which included a crowd delayed four -wheel axel and nearby Backflip fever, was a home crowd on his feet and usually heard the roaring ovations only in a building in Postseason for Celtics and Bruins. It was the culmination of four days of stories for Americans and fans and fans for less than a year until the sports peak at the Olympic Games 2026, it was as if everyone believed it was a sign of what was coming.
“Having three world champions in the Olympic season is so exciting,” Gracie Gold, a member of the American Bronze Medal 2014 team and the double national champion, said on Saturday. “I feel super optimistic (about the chances of the Olympic medals). … it’s such an important year. I think everyone feels optimistic. Who wouldn’t be?”
The United States had no lack of superstars in figure skating over the decades. The most decorated skaters, such as Michelle Kwan, Kristi Yamaguchi, Dorothy Hamill and Brian Boitano, remain known names in the country’s sports landscape and accumulated the Olympic medals, the World Championship and various other titles from the greatest sport.
But while the Americans had a strong success on stage and Nathan Chen and the American team won gold medals in 2022 in Beijing, the Americans simply did not have the same consistent results across the album. No American woman from Sasha Cohen in 2006 did not require the Olympic singles medal in 2006, and in 2002 the drought of gold medals dated even more in 2002.
Liu, an amazing talent with an impressive number of difficult skills from an early age, seemed to be the best hope that he would reverse these wealth, but in 2022 initially left as a burnt -out sixteen -year -old in the world championship.
Perhaps largely because of the fighting of women – the once most famous of all the Winter Olympics of the country – interest in sport, from viewers to participation, has declined in recent years.
However, it seemed that the weekend in Boston proves that the country had changed the corner. A combination of talented American skaters, aroused by guerrilla and sold out crowds and the absence of Russians (the country was excluded from the competition since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
And it goes beyond those who earned world titles. All three American women ended on Friday in the first five – something that has not happened since 2001. Isabeau Levito, who won the silver in the world 2024, finished fourth. Amber Glenn, who was among the popular enters the competition for the previously undefeated season, returned to fifth place after a demanding short program on Wednesday.
“I mean,” Go Team USA, “that’s all I can say,” Liu told reporters later. “I am so proud of Isabeau and Amber for mentioning such a great performance, such a great fight, and they were really fun to be with this week.”
Later she added that everyone was encouraging each other and feeding on the success of another. (And even, in the case of Liu, borrow Glenn’s yoga before the competition.)
“All of us just force us to be better for themselves,” she said.
Chock (32 years) and Bates, 36, may have been glued an American contingent since the Olympic Games three years ago. The couple was members of the Olympic team 2022, which originally won the silver and was upgraded to gold After the team of the Russian Olympic Committee was deprived of the highest price after the doping scandal. Chock and Bates also won six world medals, including the last three world titles. And followed in a number of strong American duos. Country Medal for every games since 2006.
Three time world champions! 🏆 They were ready and delivered at home! ⛸ 🎉 #Figureskating #Worldfigure pic.twitter.com/xigfom8zmu
– ISU figure skating (@isu_figure) 29. March 2025
While none of the other ice dance teams did the podium in the country, they both ended up in the TOP 10. Christina Carreir and Anthony Ponomarenko briefly held the highest place during the competition and finished fifth. Caroline Green and Michael Parsons finished ninth. Bates appreciated both Duos after Saturday and said in the US there is “incredibly strong” pipeline in discipline
“Our goal is to be at the top of the stage in Milan,” he said. “This (victory) doesn’t really change.”
And after his routine in TD Garden, perhaps no one is assured of Olympic glory than raspberry.
The 20 -year -old man is inconspicuous on the ice and was seen throughout the week throughout the week after walking around the TD Arena during other events and encouraging his American teammates. But it is a certified superstar on the ice – “four -goal”, as his handle of Instagram suggests, with the title of difficulty so stratospheric that, like Simone Biles in gymnastics, it seems impossible to catch.
After his stunning short program on Thursday, in which he participated in the three-point lead over the eventual bronze medalist Yum Kagiyama and more than 15-point edge above the rest of the field, Malinin received a reaction from the crowd before he was finished.
We will watch the short program Ilia Malinin in repetition all night. ⭐ #Worldfigure pic.twitter.com/jkzbqhmivl
– NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@nbcolympics) 27. March 2025
Even Kagiyama could not hide admiration.
“I feel like his skating and his art, and his expressions (are) improve annually,” he said through the translator. “I’m starting to think it’s invincible.”
On Saturday, Malinin further separated from Kagiyama and the rest of the other fascinating and gravitational skates. With virtually every jump and skills, Jumbotron lights up in the green, suggesting that he was successful and earned bonus points for execution, the numbers have accumulated so quickly that she felt more like a video game than artistic efforts. His free skate score of 208.15 was more than 15 points higher than anyone else, and his final total score of 318.56 was 31.09 better than Finišer in second place Mikhail Shaidorov of Kazakhstan.
Their. Malinin.
Quad God ends #Worldfigure With spectacular skates free of charge to win the world! pic.twitter.com/j3bovce4gd
– NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@nbcolympics) March 30, 2025
With one year to go before the Olympic Games in Milano Cortina, Malinin seems to be in his own league, with others fighting in second place and almost undoubtedly will be between the faces of the games and maybe The The face of the US team. He talked about his desire to further popularize sport, at home and around the world, and probably will do it with only every viral performance and high -ranking confirmation. After being introduced to the crowd as a world champion during the ceremony, he did backflip again – again – on the ice.
Jason Brown, a thirty -year -old sentimental fan popular beloved for his art and passion, but lacks some of the most difficult elements of his top peers, Had almost flawless skates free end up eighth. Andrew Torgashev, the national finalist 2025, had a more demanding trip and fell twice during the mistakes susceptible to the skate in the 22nd place.
The competition of couples was the weakest place for the Americans in Boston, but this can also be considered a victory. Because Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov finished sixth and Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea in the seventh, their combined result 13 gives the country a chance to qualify three teams For the Olympics – something that has not happened since 1994.
“That would mean a lot,” Mitrofanov said on Thursday NBC Sports. “It’s bigger than us. That’s something, we’ve actually created a small target in our heads (coming to the worlds).”
So now the biggest question for Americans in sports is simple: can they keep it and dominate it on the world’s largest scene in February in Italy?
Certainly it seems as if the best skaters of the country, across disciplines, can do it. Of course, the state of the Russians’ participation remains unclear, and there are still 313 long, unpredictable days until the Olympic team action begins.
“A lot can happen in skating,” ESPN said on Saturday. “Ice is slippery.”
