U.S. Men 2025-26 Discussion - Quad God and the Mere Mortals

[kwanfan1818]

The post-Olympics media/interview/appearance requests will likely make it difficult to keep up with a regular training schedule. That’s another reason skaters have skipped Worlds.

 

[Barbara Manatee]

I know it's Olympic year but why the heck would Ilia not do Worlds? I can't believe anyone would suggest that. He is far from finished with his career and the only skaters that typically skip Worlds in an Olympic year are the ones fully retiring.

Try and appreciate how truly brutal an Olympic year is on the mind and body, especially when everyone expects you to win. Ilia is already committed to SOI, and yes, he'll have a million other demands on his time and attention. He'll need to rest and recover especially because he's planning to continue another quad. Besides, if he is Olympic champion, another world medal would be more than a little anticlimactic.

 

[Capt. DeSoto]

The post-Olympics media/interview/appearance requests will likely make it difficult to keep up with a regular training schedule. That’s another reason skaters have skipped Worlds.

Perhaps the ISU should take the hint and push Worlds back a few weeks in Olympic years.

 

[skatingguy]

Perhaps the ISU should take the hint and push Worlds back a few weeks in Olympic years.

That starts to get completed because it pushes into the show schedule in April. I think most competitive skaters would be happy to be finished at the end of March than have an extra couple weeks to continue training.

 

[Kiki5375]

Ilia cut arts on ice to only one show. Kevin Aymoz is goint to replace him on the other shows. And he keeps on saying he will "go ham" after Olympics when asked about the quints. There is only Worlds after Olympics. I doubt he will premier a quint in a showskate with dark light and smaler ice and I doubt he can hold it back until next season. I am positive he will show up in Prague

 

[YukiNieve]

Although it was a little while ago, Ilia said he will do Worlds.

Here is a nice article from Sports Illustrated featuring Ilia:

Ilia Malinin, Team USA’s Quad God, Is Redefining the Limits of Figure Skating

A two-time world champion who has gone undefeated for two-plus years, the history-making 21-year-old is paving his way towards Olympic gold.

www.si.com

Just about everyone has shot a basketball or kicked a soccer ball or hit a baseball, so we understand how much better the pros are. But how many of the people who tune into NBC every four years for figure skating can explain the difference between a Lutz and a loop, let alone execute either one? A backflip, though: “I’m sure they understand [it],” Malinin says. “But to do it on the ice, in skates, at the end of a program, after four minutes, when you’re so tired, exhausted—that’s something that they can relate to.”

“[With] that many quads, it’s hard to deliver the kind of program that looks like art,” says Malinin’s choreographer, Shae-Lynn Bourne. “The energy it takes to do those jumps is very different than someone, let’s say, that’s [doing] one quad and the rest are triples. You can really explore and push the [artistic] score, because you have the energy, but he’s really pushing himself to have both.”

Bourne can’t count the number of times she has arrived at the rink to find Malinin waiting for her, skates laced, beaming, ready to go.

“Even things that look life-threatening to me, that I wouldn’t even attempt, he’ll do,” says Bourne. “There’s no limit, really, with him.”

“When we’re making the program, it’s a blast, because we are enjoying it, and without the kind of monitoring of, Oh, it’s the Olympics,” says Bourne. “Will we impress this judge? No, we throw that away. Are we enjoying this? Is this what you want to say? Keeping it about what it should be about: his journey. It’s not anyone else’s.”

And in the end, she thinks that’s the secret to Malinin’s ability to manage the pressure.

 

[YukiNieve]

Vincent Zhou is helping young skaters participating in the 2026 National Development Camp.

Brad Vigorito Skating on Instagram: "Day 1 Honored to be part of the 2026 National Development Camp with US Figure Skating’s inaugural Accelerated Mentoring Program. What an incredible opportunity to learn, grow, and continue developing as a coach.

204 likes, 6 comments - bv_skating on January 12, 2026: "Day 1 Honored to be part of the 2026 National Development Camp with US Figure Skating’s inaugural Accelerated Mentoring Program. What an incredible opportunity to learn, grow, and continue developing as a coach. @usfigureskating...

www.instagram.com

 

[Sylvia]

Ilia cut arts on ice to only one show. Kevin Aymoz is goint to replace him on the other shows.

Do you have a source link for this? Art on Ice's website & Instagram account don't yet show this news. Malinin originally was scheduled to do Art on Ice's 5 Zurich shows, Feb. 26-March 1 (Aymoz was originally scheduled for the Fribourg & Davos shows only): https://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/th...er-shows-tours-in-europe.113424/#post-6853375

Just checked Ilia's official website and Art on Ice in Zurich is not listed at this time (nor is Worlds): https://iliamalininqg.com/schedule/

 

[Sylvia]

Vincent Zhou is helping young skaters participating in the 2026 National Development Camp.

Brad Vigorito Skating on Instagram: "Day 1 Honored to be part of the 2026 National Development Camp with US Figure Skating’s inaugural Accelerated Mentoring Program. What an incredible opportunity to learn, grow, and continue developing as a coach.

204 likes, 6 comments - bv_skating on January 12, 2026: "Day 1 Honored to be part of the 2026 National Development Camp with US Figure Skating’s inaugural Accelerated Mentoring Program. What an incredible opportunity to learn, grow, and continue developing as a coach. @usfigureskating...

www.instagram.com

Brad Vigorito's 4th photo (https://www.instagram.com/p/DTbkdNtjBwB/?img_index=4) shows a smiling Grant Hochstein who accompanied 2 young skaters to the 2026 National High Performance Development Camp:

The Hochstein Family on Instagram: "Congratulations @jialihobby (Lizbeth Tu) and @slatersk8r (Slater Blenkle) on qualifying for the 2026 US National High Performance Development Camp! So proud of all your hard work to get here! Shine bright, little s

59 likes, 2 comments - grantoline on January 12, 2026: "Congratulations @jialihobby (Lizbeth Tu) and @slatersk8r (Slater Blenkle) on qualifying for the 2026 US National High Performance Development Camp! So proud of all your hard work to get here! Shine bright, little stars! #usfigureskating...

www.instagram.com

Grant helped coach and/or choreographed for Sherry Zhang (8th), Anabel Wallace (17th in her national senior debut) and juniors Annika Chao (silver), Hannah Kim (bronze), and Cleo Park (11th) at Nationals.

ETA another photo of Vincent at the Camp, posing with an Intermediate level pair team: https://www.instagram.com/p/DTeP8qtjnU-/?img_index=3

 

[skatfan]

Perhaps the ISU should take the hint and push Worlds back a few weeks in Olympic years.

Or not have one at all as many other sports currently do. Given we have Europeans and 4CCs now, there's not a huge reason t have one.

 

[YukiNieve]

Daisuke Murakami, a former Japanese male skater and has been working at the GPI, Xtweeted on Saturday (Jan 10):

Before the US Nationals, I had the opportunity to observe Ilia and Andrew's practice. The sheer volume and intensity of their training leading up to this competition was truly unbelievable. Working alongside Rafael, it was an absolute honor to witness these two athletes striving for this event on the same ice.

https://x.com/DaisukeMurakami/status/2010213730454528174

 

[Sylvia]

I'm very behind in sharing my memorable photos & clips from Nationals - here's my second X post in this thread:

https://twitter.com/x/status/2011333727662850509

 

[Theatregirl1122]

Or not have one at all as many other sports currently do. Given we have Europeans and 4CCs now, there's not a huge reason t have one.

I love post Olympic Games olds. I think it’s a great chance for skaters to break out. I think it’s just fine that it’s not the same as worlds the other three years.