World Championship free skate: Grassl consistency and Malinin's salvation

At the World Figure Skating Championships in Prague, Daniel Grassl once again demonstrated his consistency. The superstar of the sport also experienced a great sense of relief.

March 28, 2026

From: dl

Grassl confirmed his position after finishing eighth in the short program and concluded the championships in the Czech Republic in eighth place. The judges awarded him a total of 166,41 points for his free skate, which the skater from Merano started successfully with a quadruple Lutz. Grassl only faltered on the quadruple Salchow; otherwise, he could be satisfied with his free skate.

Grassl scored a total of 254,94 points. He missed a medal by just under 33 points. At the Olympics, Grassl had finished fourth in the short program, dropping to ninth place in the free skate. Gabriele Frangipani from Bolzano finished 23rd at the World Championships on Saturday.

Ilia Malinin rehabilitated himself after the Olympic debacle. © APA/afp / MICHAL CIZEK

World Championship gold went to Ilia Malinin for the third time in a row. The American had skated three times in the Olympic free skate and, as the clear favorite, had come away empty-handed. On Saturday at the championships in the Czech Republic, the dominant figure in the sport at least partially redeemed himself. With 329,4 points, he won convincingly ahead of Yuma Kagiyama (306,67) from Japan and received thunderous applause afterward.

Keywords Winter sports Figure skating WM Prague Daniel Grasll Ilia Malinin