World champ Ilia Malinin lands six quad jumps
Ilia Malinin topped the Prevagen U.S. Figure Skating Championships men's short program by the largest margin in history.
Just days after figure skaters, family and coaches from across the United States came together in Wichita, a tragic plane crash has left the U.S. Figure Skating community reeling.
World champion Ilia Malinin landed a record-tying six quadruple jumps to win his third consecutive U.S. figure skating title. Malinin, a 20-year-old from the D.C. area, landed a quad flip, quad Axel (a jump no other skater has ever landed), two quad Lutzes, quad toe loop and quad Salchow in Sunday’s free skate in Wichita, Kansas.
World champion Ilia Malinin leads by the largest margin in U.S. Figure Skating Championships history after the men’s short program, seeking a third consecutive national title.
Members of the U.S. figure skating community were traveling on the commercial jet that collided with a military helicopter outside Washington. They were returning from a training camp in Kansas.
Here’s everything locals need to know about the rare chance to watch future Olympians compete right here in Wichita.
"I'm heartbroken by the tragic loss of my fellow skaters in this devastating accident," Malinin wrote on Instagram
"We are devastated, and there are truly no words to capture the depth of our sorrow," US Olympic and Paralympic Committee CEO Sarah Hirshland said in a statement. "These Olympic hopefuls represented the bright future of Team USA, embodying the very essence of what it means to represent our country - perseverance, resilience, and hope."
Tara Lipinski and Tonya Harding were among those in mourning after learning figure skaters were in Wednesday's plane crash near Washington D.C.
The tight-knit figure skating community was rocked when an American Airlines flight carrying athletes, parents and coaches from a development camp in Wichita, Kansas, collided with an Army helicopter and crashed into the Potomac River.
Two young figure skaters, two of their parents and two highly-regarded Russian figure skating coaches were among those killed after an American Airlines flight collided with an Army helicopter and crashed into the frigid waters of the Potomac River.