QUAD AXEL'S Q.E.D : SKATING SUPERSTAR HONOURS

U.S. FIGURE SKATING star didn't lose in 2024 and is now the king of the sport. 

At the end of his free skate in the Grand Prix Final, IIia Malinin sprawled out on ice, eyes closed, soaking it all in.

Malinin, known as the Quad God, had just unleashed a series of quadruple jumps - including the quad axel, a jump that no one else ever successfully landed - and even a backflip in his typical spectacular style.

The routine had included a fall and several other miscues, but it did not matter. Malinin, the rising American who had just turned 20, easily beat his Japanese rival Yuma Kagiyama to win the men's singles competition, finish an undefeated 2024 and further cement his status as a superstar in the making.

Perhaps the only thing not going Malnini's way is that the Olympics are in 14 months instead of two.

Since the 2022 Beijing Games, Malinin has become the new force in men's figure skating. His Grand Prix win on Dec. 7 completed a perfect calendar year that included the World Championship gold medal.

In his Grand Prix free skate, Malinin unleashed a barrage of quads : the axel, Lutz, salchow, toe loop, loop and flip. He finished with a combined score of 292.12, besting Kagiyama's 281.78.

'' I had this idea and this goal that I wanted to achieve here, I was able to blow it out of the park,'' Malininin said in the arena after the win.

The Grand Prix Final, which took place in Grenoble, France, is the culmination of figure skating's annual Grand Prix series, inviting only the top six skaters or pairs in each discipline.

It is the most prestigious title in the sport, after the Olympics and the World Championships.

The World Students Society thanks Zack Pierce - The Athletic.