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Sports Illustrated

Sport

Madison Williams

How Ilia Malinin and Amber Glenn Performed at World Championships After Olympic Setbacks

Ilia Malinin Amber Glenn Olympics (Event) Olympics World Championship World Championships Prague March madness (Topic)

A month-plus after the Milan Cortina Olympics finished, the world’s best figure skaters are back on the ice, this time in Prague for the World Championships.

Team USA fans will notice a few familiar faces skating, like the “Quad God” Ilia Malinin, Amber Glenn and Isabeau Levito. Gold medalist winner Alysa Liu withdrew from competition earlier this month, even though she’s the reigning champion.

After the short program events for both men’s and women’s, though, it’s clear this competition is for the figure skaters who experienced heartbreak at the Winter Olympics last month, like Malinin and Glenn. Malinin was seen as the clear favorite to win the gold in Milan in the men’s individual skating competition, but a fall cost him a trip to the podium. Similarly, Glenn fell out of a triple loop and didn’t reach the podium.

But, both of these American skaters shined in their short program routines in Prague. Malinin currently leads the men by nearly 10 points with a score of 111.29. Glenn sits in third with a score of 72.65, following Olympic silver medalist Kaori Sakamoto’s 79.31.

Malinin admitted that of course his Olympic struggles were on his mind when he returned to the ice on Thursday, but he has a much better mindset about competing since his experience at the Winter Games. Malinin was very open about his mental health struggles during the Olympics. It was hard for him not to think about what happened in Milan when arriving in Prague.

“There are always small things that can change the outcome of any performance, so coming back from there it was really hard for a few days,” Malinin said. “I kept thinking about it 24/7. I thought of so many different things I could have done differently to get a different outcome.”

But, Malinin chose to “move on” and focus on the World Championships solely.

“I’m trying not to put too many expectations on myself, just really wanting to enjoy what I do and what I love,” Malinin said, via Golden Skate. “Of course, I do think a lot about what happened, but I also think about the good parts because there was so much fun at the Olympics. Honestly, it was such an unreal experience that I think I will never ever live something like that again. Well, we will see what happens. ... Anyways, there were a lot of ups and downs, so I just take everything in.”

Ilia Malinin - "The Lost Crown" Short Program - 2026 World Championships

4F, 3A, 4Lz+3T
TES: 65.05
PCS: 46.24 (CO: 9.29; PR: 9.36; SK: 9.04)
Total score: 111.29 (PB)

Currently in 1st placepic.twitter.com/TBPaNVpJ4m
— Ilia Malinin Daily (@TheIliaSociety) March 26, 2026

Malinin learned how to really just enjoy skating after his Olympic experience. Here’s what he had to say about being back on the ice:

“It felt really great just being out there. That’s one thing that I really wanted—enjoy,” Malinin said. “I had no expectations coming into the event. I simply wanted to go. Honestly, defending the title doesn’t mean so much. I think now I finally realized that over these last few years I’ve done so much for this sport, and now it’s truly my time to go my own way, just be myself and do whatever I want to do. “

Similarly to Malinin, Glenn wanted to put her Olympic mistake behind her and focus on putting her best on the ice in Prague. She also was open about her mental health struggles throughout the Olympics. She sounded happy with her short program performance on Wednesday. especially since she landed the triple axel that messed her up at the Olympics.

“Today I just tried to stay focused as much as I could,” Glenn said, via Golden Skate. “There was the Axel, which was very forward, and I was kind of ‘Whoa, whoa.’ And I was like, ‘I’m not losing my balance. No, I’m not losing my balance.’ Then the flip toe came, and I was like, ‘O.K., reset. I’m going to do this thing.’ It was literally in my head all the time: ‘You’re going to do it.’ And I got it done. I’m very happy with that.”

Amber’s ’Like a Prayer’ short program at the 2026 World Figure Skating Championships:

3A(hangs on), 3F+3Tq, 3Lo

TES: 38.93 + PCS: 33.72 = 72.65
pic.twitter.com/0ZR0MBQgbQ
— Amber Glenn Updates (@AmberGlennDaily) March 25, 2026

At the Olympics, Glenn’s short program originally put her in 13th place heading into the free skate. She climbed up the rankings to finish fifth overall after her incredible free skate. She’s glad to not be in a similar position in Prague.

“To be in a good position and not feel like I am clawing my way back through the ranks and having to make this big comeback is really assuring,” Glenn said. “I’d rather not have to have that extra step of redemption and just be able to go out and do what I’ve been training to do every day.”

The women’s free skate will take place on Friday, while the men will compete on Saturday. We’ll see if Malinin can defend his World Championship gold medal, and if Glenn can win her first medal at the event.