U.S. Figure Skating Championships 2024: Ilia Malinin and his quad Axel wins second national title 

Despite not having his best free skate, Ilia Malinin won the men’s championship at the U.S. National Figure Skating Championship on Sunday (28 January) at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. He won it thanks to the quad Axel he started his program with, and the big lead he had coming in from the short program.

Malinin said he had been dealing with an issue with his skates all week, and that definitely affected him on the ice.

“It was definitely the case, I had a boot problem. Of course, it's not something I can control every time and sometimes, things happen,” Malinin said. “It was a fun skate, especially with all the problems I had with my boots. I was happy to get through, with the crowd supporting me and cheering me on.”

While Malinin did land the quad Axel, a quad Lutz, and a quad Salchow, he also popped one jump and fell on another. He was also awarded a big score for artistry for his skate to music from the television show “Succession.” As Malinin skated off the ice, he laughed to himself, clear that he had not done his best work.

Coming into Sunday’s competition, Malinin's lead was the largest margin ever after the short program in U.S. nationals history.

Jason Brown back on the U.S. podium again

Jason Brown had been in third place, but the 29-year-old managed to move up to second with his free skate to “Dream the Impossible Dream” from “Man of La Mancha.”

The Sochi 2014 bronze medallist had planned to compete with a different skate, but decided to go back to “Dream,” which helped him win U.S. silver last season. Brown skated in professional shows for much of the year, so had less time to train a new program. When he was home training in Chicago, he found “Dream” was the right fit.

“It was nice because the schedule that I've had before, if I don't have the same amount of training time and I would just get out of competition, I don't have the repetition in events to do something as challenging as the new program, and go outside of my comfort zone. It takes time, and so that's why I went back,” Brown said.

The crowd in Columbus supported two-time Winter Olympian Brown before he was even announced. Fans stood and held large signs with his name in the middle of a blue heart as he skated to center ice. Like Malinin, Brown’s skate had errors. He put a hand down on one jump, and didn’t attempt a quad. Brown’s biggest score came from his artistry.

This is Brown’s seventh time making the podium at the U.S. Championships. As he skated off, fans flooded the ice with stuffed animals that he had arranged to donate to the Ronald McDonald House of Central Ohio. He was given a standing ovation, and he made sure to wave and blow kisses to each side of the ice.

Heading into the free skate, Maxim Naumov was in second place, but a fall on his triple Axel and only one quad means he slid into fourth place.

Camden Pulkinen, who was the first American man to compete in figure skating at a Youth Olympic Games, took third place with a strong free skate that started with a stunning quad toe loop jump. Until 2024, Pulkinen had never made it to the podium at the U.S. Nationals.

Next, the skaters will turn their attention to the world championships, taking place in Montreal in March. Malinin took third at worlds in 2023, and won the Grand Prix Final earlier this season. Expectations will be high for the skater nicknamed “The Quad God” going into worlds.