2023 World Figure Skating Championships Men's Free Skate

[JimR]

Well Daniel has often had surprisingly low TES when the scores come up, even before his move. I'm terrible at spotting under rotations so I was always unpleasantly surprised, but I don't think the judges were targetting him because of his coach. The tech panel just doesn't like his jumps very much - he does have the look up in the air position Boyang has - although Boyang seems to be doing it less these days now that he's with Brian.

I enjoy watching Daniel so I hope he can regroup over the off-season and have a great 2023-2024 season!

The lone independent skater next season representing a blank flag will be obliterated by the judges. They'll back at the hotel afterwards chuckling did you see the look on his face when read the score ahahaha...

 

[Kris135]

Ilia will be favourite to win in 2026. The casual viewer will tune in to watch him. He does a great job promoting the sport and attracting attention (the good kind) when the governing body and his federation do almost nothing to help the skaters.

His gala performance was wonderful too showed real artistic qualities

Thank God someone agrees with me.

 

[Kris135]

Yes it is really important that we muzzle the first person who has chance to get some attention for figure skating in the United States in forever. Give me a break please.
Ilia is best thing that happened in US Figure Skating in years. US Skating needs an ambassador and spoke person and Ilia is the one to do it. All the complaints about him talking about how this is his era forget who started that conversation in the first place. Johnny and Tara were saying things like Ilia was Nathan's Successor and that he was in line at last year's nationals so when some asked him the question he answered it with yes it was his time to become the face of US skating. He may have not phased his answer about winning his first title the best way but the National Championship was his to lose so to his comment makes sense.
Now about his Instagram account. When he was 15 years old he changed the account name to "QuadgOd" and he stated that the name inspired him to learn his quads so he could live up to the name. It is harmless. It catchy branding and he certainly lives up it now. It one of the first things that is known about him, at this year's worlds he even got a hat with "QuadgOd" in Japanese.
He is young and bit brash and bold but he usually backs up what he says. Notice where he said it was his era it was at Nationals not worlds. He was a bit more modest in Japan last week because I have feeling he is not saying that it is his era at the worlds yet because he feels that he has to win the world title before he has the right to say it on the international stage. His time is coming I think it will be at Montreal or better yet at Boston to give him the bounce into the 2026 Olympics where the ultimate prize of an Olympic Gold may be waiting for him.
He does have a bit of following. We saw all the Quadgod banners there. He is well liked I mean who did the newly crowned women junior world champion chose to be her dance partner not Uno her country man but with Ilia.
So could we cut out the vitriol please. I have never such hated of one skater in a long time. There a lot worse people that you could you go after. Remember though he gets off on all the haters it just makes him work harder.

 

[reader3]

On a more positive note, here is another Goldenskate interview piece on IM: https://twitter.com/goldenskate/status/1639632102282129409

 

[elbkup]

Yes it is really important that we muzzle the first person who has chance to get some attention for figure skating in the United States in forever. Give me a break please.
Ilia is best thing that happened in US Figure Skating in years. US Skating needs an ambassador and spoke person and Ilia is the one to do it. All the complaints about him talking about how this is his era forget who started that conversation in the first place. Johnny and Tara were saying things like Ilia was Nathan's Successor and that he was in line at last year's nationals so when some asked him the question he answered it with yes it was his time to become the face of US skating. He may have not phased his answer about winning his first title the best way but the National Championship was his to lose so to his comment makes sense.
Now about his Instagram account. When he was 15 years old he changed the account name to "QuadgOd" and he stated that the name inspired him to learn his quads so he could live up to the name. It is harmless. It catchy branding and he certainly lives up it now. It one of the first things that is known about him, at this year's worlds he even got a hat with "QuadgOd" in Japanese.
He is young and bit brash and bold but he usually backs up what he says. Notice where he said it was his era it was at Nationals not worlds. He was a bit more modest in Japan last week because I have feeling he is not saying that it is his era at the worlds yet because he feels that he has to win the world title before he has the right to say it on the international stage. His time is coming I think it will be at Montreal or better yet at Boston to give him the bounce into the 2026 Olympics where the ultimate prize of an Olympic Gold may be waiting for him.
He does have a bit of following. We saw all the Quadgod banners there. He is well liked I mean who did the newly crowned women junior world champion chose to be her dance partner not Uno her country man but with Ilia.
So could we cut out the vitriol please. I have never such hated of one skater in a long time. They’re a lot worse people that you could you go after. Remember though he gets off on all the haters it just makes him work harder.

Agree 100 He seems to have established some important friendships too at this Worlds, ones that will likely last through his career.. he and Junwhan Cha seem to connect; as I said in an earlier post he received a Master Class in skating artistry, knowledge he will likely take to heart in subsequent training. All in all a great experience for him this year

 

[viennaskater]

Yes it is really important that we muzzle the first person who has chance to get some attention for figure skating in the United States in forever. Give me a break please.

So could we cut out the vitriol please. I have never such hated of one skater in a long time. There a lot worse people that you could you go after. Remember though he gets off on all the haters it just makes him work harder.

I do not 'hate' him at all - I just don't think he is ready to be in the top three on a World basis and he could have looked a little happier about the scores. I admire him for what he has achieved already.

As for :

the first person who has chance to get some attention for figure skating in the United States in forever.

um ... it's not so long ago that Nathan Chen was at the top. And look at what Jason Brown is STILL doing for figure skating!

 

[mskater93]

Oh, so you're saying that making statements like "My era is here and it will be here for a long time" or " I came here [US Nats] to claim my title" he was actually "struggling under the burden of expectations" or "showing a healthy sense of humor"? Cause he seems quite serious when saying it, not a tongue in cheek at all.

Genuinely wonder what you make out of such statements.
Cause, like it or not, to many people they just make him look arrogant and unlikeable.

My era is here for a long time isn't an arrogant statement, he's talking about being at his best (the top group) of US Men's skating for a while, because like it or not, he's incredibly gifted as a jumper already and it's really hard for him to NOT know it. Also, other than JB, there wasn't anyone even close to him on the TES side. If IM was truly an arrogant, self-absorbed jerk, he wouldn't have expressed concern for Shoma's injury after short and offered him a shot of confidence. He would have just walked away without saying anything.

Look, you don't have to like the kid, but you can't force your opinion on others who have a differing views from yourself. If I see something that is really off-putting to me, I'll call it out, but in general, he's a male teen with a healthy dose of confidence in his abilities in his sport. I wouldn't consider anything he's said any different than the top HS athletes picking D1 college to play football/basketball at the top athletic programs.

 

[YuBluByMe]

Yes it is really important that we muzzle the first person who has chance to get some attention for figure skating in the United States in forever. Give me a break please.
Ilia is best thing that happened in US Figure Skating in years. US Skating needs an ambassador and spoke person and Ilia is the one to do it. All the complaints about him talking about how this is his era forget who started that conversation in the first place. Johnny and Tara were saying things like Ilia was Nathan's Successor and that he was in line at last year's nationals so when some asked him the question he answered it with yes it was his time to become the face of US skating. He may have not phased his answer about winning his first title the best way but the National Championship was his to lose so to his comment makes sense.
Now about his Instagram account. When he was 15 years old he changed the account name to "QuadgOd" and he stated that the name inspired him to learn his quads so he could live up to the name. It is harmless. It catchy branding and he certainly lives up it now. It one of the first things that is known about him, at this year's worlds he even got a hat with "QuadgOd" in Japanese.
He is young and bit brash and bold but he usually backs up what he says. Notice where he said it was his era it was at Nationals not worlds. He was a bit more modest in Japan last week because I have feeling he is not saying that it is his era at the worlds yet because he feels that he has to win the world title before he has the right to say it on the international stage. His time is coming I think it will be at Montreal or better yet at Boston to give him the bounce into the 2026 Olympics where the ultimate prize of an Olympic Gold may be waiting for him.
He does have a bit of following. We saw all the Quadgod banners there. He is well liked I mean who did the newly crowned women junior world champion chose to be her dance partner not Uno her country man but with Ilia.
So could we cut out the vitriol please. I have never such hated of one skater in a long time. There a lot worse people that you could you go after. Remember though he gets off on all the haters it just makes him work harder.

Agreed.

I will also add that grown-ass men and women shouldn’t even be concerning themselves with what a teenager is calling himself on social media in the first place. I think his cockiness is refreshing and part of his charm. (And no. I’m not American.) He outright said he was going to take his National title and that’s exactly what he did.

The last thing Ilia should do is acknowledge anything silly people say or dislike about him because that would be the first step in becoming a hot mess on the ice and off it. No, he should continue doing what’s he doing: enjoy himself, don’t change his social media name, and continue wearing that quadgod beanie in the Kiss and Cry. And if that annoys certain people, good! Haters are fans too, after all.

 

[el henry]

I think it does Ilia no good to tick off certain people just for the sake of ticking them off, but I don't think that is Ilia's goal. I think wearing the beanie in the KnC is a silly move, and whatever he thought he was accomplishing, he didn't.

Does that mean I'm a hater, I don't think so. I like Ilia, I like watching his skating, I certainly don't like watching it as much as Jun or Shoma or Jason, but that's me, others can disagree. Personally, I don't care Ilia calls himself the God of All Skating. If it helps him skate, more power to him. However, Ilia needs to be ready to deal with people who like it and people who don't like it. Put yourself out there, deal with the consequences.

And many top players in many other sports don't deal in this kind of talk. I think Jalen Hurts of my beloved Eagles, who is hundred times more famous and facing a hundred times more pressure than Ilia, would die before he engaged in braggadocio. Then again, his teammate Darius Slay calls himself "Big Play Slay". Different folks, different strokes.

I have not listened to the clip regarding the "Ilia Malinin era of skating". If he is only referring to US men, well, meh, but I can understand it. If he is referring to *all* men's skating, the judges in this comp have certainly sent him a message that this is not his era, and he has a ways to go to achieve that goal.

 

[TontoK]

I think it does Ilia no good to tick off certain people just for the sake of ticking them off, but I don't think that is Ilia's goal. I think wearing the beanie in the KnC is a silly move, and whatever he thought he was accomplishing, he didn't.

In a few weeks at WTT, when we see world class athletes parading around in multi-colored afro wigs and oversized bedazzled spectacles, Ilia's beanie will look like a top hat and tails in comparison.

Lord, I hate that tomfoolery.

 

[el henry]

In a few weeks at WTT, when we see world class athletes parading around in multi-colored afro wigs and oversized bedazzled spectacles, Ilia's beanie will look like a top hat and tails in comparison.

Lord, I hate that tomfoolery.

Lord, I love WTT and Jason in all his regalia. Different strokes for different folks.

That said, if Ilia wants to wear a silly cap at WTT, I don't think anyone would notice. He set himself up by wearing at a "real" comp. He then gets to deal with the criticism. I don't think posters who criticize are joyless haters, and I don't think it's the worst thing any skater has ever done.

I do want to see Ilia in the red white and blue wig.

 

[cailuj365]

18-year-old world record swimmer David Popovici* calls himself "chlorinedaddy" on instagram. Between that and quadg0d, I figure it's a Gen Z thing. It's all for fun, and it's great for marketing.

*He broke the 100m freestyle WR, which had stood for 13 years, around the same time Ilia landed the 4A for the first time in competition. Both of them were 17, and when I found out their instagram names, I was like, good grief, the teens are HERE!

 

[jersey1302]

I thought there was a lot of quality skating.. I can only imagine Jason’s scores if he were to have quads lol. Kevin finally was able to put a full event together which was nice for him. I can gloat about a lot of skaters and particularly Keegan’s SP.. that was the best program I’ve ever seen him do. I was beaming after he was finished that. Heartbroken after his FS.. it was a bit of a fight for him and super uncharacteristic to mess up a spin of all things.

What puzzles me most TBH is the judges scoring of Morisi.. we wont even touch the PCS.. how about .. can someone legit answer me why he gets credit for doing a 4T when it’s absolutely not a 4T but a 4S.. it should be marked as a 4S REP and not be scored.. It’s so brutal it would be comparable to you listing a 4LZ and doing a 4F but them marking it it’s a 4LZ.. it’s ridiculous.. how have the judges continuously scored him like that.

 

[JimR]

Rewatching Shoma and Ilia for a second time, the judging looks even worse.

Shoma's 4F was a complete mess in both programs. In the free skate he got 4's and one 5. It's completely absurd.

 

[anonymoose_au]

A lovely sportsman moment between Shoma and Ilia!

https://twitter.com/fs_gossips/status/1641008405211934720

 

[mskater93]

A lovely sportsman moment between Shoma and Ilia!

https://twitter.com/fs_gossips/status/1641008405211934720

I alluded to that in my earlier post about IM not being a self absorbed jerk.

 

[ElSoteroLoco]

Every man in the last group had their own special brand of skating to offer, and I enjoyed all of them. With respect to Ilia, I agree with those who are impressed by the technical (though quads are maybe a bit overdone) but less so of the rest of his skating. He's just not there yet as a complete skater. Comparison, in order of oldest to youngest:
Keegan, age 31, this was his 5th Worlds (plus 2 Olympics under his belt)
Jason, age 28, 5 Worlds + 2 Olympics
Kevin, age 25, 4 Worlds + 1 Olympics
Shoma, age 25, 7 Worlds + 2 Olympics
Junhwan, age 21, 3 Worlds + 2 Olympics
Ilia, age 18, 2 Worlds

There's just no way we should expect Ilia, at this stage of his career, to be in the same artistic league as these more experienced guys. He's a work in progress. For what was put out on the ice in this competition by all the men, a bronze is a very fair result for Ilia and nothing to be ashamed of. The answer to the question of What Next? for training is in those protocols....if Team Ilia will look closely at them and take them to heart.

THANK YOU!!! THANK YOU!! I dont need to say anything! You slayed it. This is Ilia's SECOND worlds!! I smh at so many of the commenters on here bashing Ilia!!

 

[Greengemmonster]

Omg I left this thread after the competition and all these pages grew

I think with Ilia people will see what they want to see.

I find him endearing. I love all the little videos of him socializing, playing baseball/softball (whatever I can't tell ok ) with the other boys and his genuine excitement site seeing in Japan. He seems very grateful for all the opportunities and experiences. I think he's a lovely kid and find him very authentic.

It's interesting to me that some find his Quadgod account offensive. If anything it's made me like him even more. I find that account full of youthful exuberance more than anything.