#WorldFigure

The World’s top Figure Skaters are coming together at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2025 in Boston (USA) to find out who are the best of the best. Not only the 2025 World Champions will be crowned in the legendary TD Garden arena, but also the majority of spots for the Olympic Winter Games 2026 are on the line. Expect a thrilling competition at the highest level, presented in a new and engaging way for the ultimate experience on-site and on screens, and watch the spectacular stories the Skaters have to tell. All four reigning ISU World Champions Ilia Malinin (USA), Kaori Sakamoto (JPN), Deanna Stellato-Dudek/Maxime Deschamps (CAN) and Madison Chock/Evan Bates (USA) are back to face a strong field full of formidable challengers.

“Quad God” Ilia Malinin in the house

The “Quad God” is in the house! Who can stop defending ISU World Champion Ilia Malinin (USA)? Malinin won each competition he entered this season but he knows he needs to bring his A Game in Boston. The question is – how many quads will he do? Malinin always wants to do what nobody has done before. So stay tuned which surprises he plans. Malinin tops the seasons’ best list with 312.55 points. 

Ilia Malinin (USA), here pictured at the ISU Grand Prix Final in Grenoble (FRA), leads the seasons best list © ISU

 The US star needs to watch out of his key rivals:

• Yuma Kagiyama (JPN/seasons best 300.09 points): The smooth and elegant Japanese Champion has collected three silver medals at the ISU World Championships and is hungry for gold. Can he take the title on Malinin’s home ice?
• Adam Siao Him Fa (FRA/seasons best 272.38 points): The two-time ISU European Champion aka “Mr. Backlip” staged the most spectacular comeback ever seen at the ISU World Championships a year ago, jumping from 19^th place in the Short Program to the bronze medal. Siao Him Fa battled an ankle injury earlier this season but the trajectory has been upwards since the ISU European Championships where he took bronze.
• Mikhail Shaidorov (KAZ/seasons best 285.10 points): This 20-year-old from Almaty has celebrated a big breakthrough this season, winning the ISU Four Continents Championships last month and making history by becoming the first to complete a triple Axel-quad toeloop and triple Axel-Euler-quad Salchow combination in competition. 

Yuma Kagiyama (JPN), here pictured at the ISU Grand Prix Final in Grenoble (FRA), is looking for World gold after three silver medals © ISU

The deep field in the Men’s features more strong contenders including Asian Winter Games Champion Junhwan Cha (KOR), current ISU Grand Prix Final bronze medalist Shun Sato (JPN), 2025 ISU European Champion Lukas Britschgi (SUI), ISU Grand Prix finalist Kevin Aymoz (FRA), 2025 ISU European silver medalist Nikolaj Memola (ITA), Jason Brown (USA) and Deniss Vasiljevs (LAT).

 Malinin has not competed since the US National Championships in January but he used his time well. 

 “I've been really comfortable in training and just been ready every day to get up and train my hardest to prepare for these World Championships,” he noted.

The ISU World Champion is looking forward to performing for a home crowd and to meeting his competitors from around the world. 

“It's going to be an amazing time in Boston. I already feel the crowd is going to be wild. (I’m looking forward to) the reunion with all the other skaters. I really enjoy coming to the competition just to see my friends, see the skaters, and really just have a wonderful time.”

Kaori Sakamoto (JPN) aiming at a fourth gold 

Three-time and reigning ISU World Champion Kaori Sakamoto (JPN) could become the first woman since Carol Heiss (USA) to win four consecutive ISU World titles – Heiss collected five from 1956 to 1960. However, competition promises to be extremely tough and exciting. Sakamoto leads the seasons best list with 231.88 points but her rivals are coming closer and closer.

Kaori Sakamoto (JPN), here pictured at the ISU Grand Prix Final in Grenoble (FRA), is aiming at a fourth ISU World title © ISU

• Chaeyeon Kim (KOR/seasons best 222.38 points): The 2024 ISU World bronze medalist has continued her ascent this season and struck gold at the ISU Four Continents Championships and the Asian Winter Games. 
• Amber Glenn (USA/seasons best 215.54 points): The US Champion has been at her very best this season, winning her ISU Grand Prix events and the ISU Grand Prix Final, where she beat Sakamoto, among others. Glenn comes armed with a triple Axel.
• Mone Chiba (JPN/seasons best 212.54): The 2024 ISU Four Continents Champion qualified for her first ISU Grand Prix Final this season where she earned the silver medal. Chiba missed the podium at the ISU Four Continents Championships last month as she fell ill after the Short Program but she will have returned to form in Boston.
• Niina Petrokina (EST/seasons best 208.18 points): The newly minted ISU European Champion jumped right into history by becoming the first Estonian to win an ISU Championship title in any discipline and at any level. With fresh confidence, Petrokina is heading to Boston, ready to challenge again.

Chaeyeon Kim (KOR), here pictured at the ISU Four Continents Championships in Seoul (KOR),is ready to challenge for the top of the podium © ISU

There are more excellent women that eye the podium in Boston. 2024 ISU World silver medalist Isabeau Levito (USA) is on the comeback trail after sitting out some events due to injury. The 2022 ISU World bronze medalist Alysa Liu (USA) retired at 16 and now is back at the ISU World Championships. Will 2018 ISU World silver medalist Wakaba Higuchi (JPN) return on to the World podium after seven years? 2025 ISU European silver medalist Anastasiia Gubanova (GEO), 2023 ISU World silver medalist Haein Lee (KOR) and Kimmy Repond (SUI) are in the mix as well.

Sakamoto is prepared for a tough competition.

“My condition has been down for a while, so I am working on getting it back up and stabilizing it,” Sakamoto commented. 

 “I will challenge with the mindset to beat myself again this time. I want to make the most of what I have built up this season, and I hope to get three Olympic spots.”

Pairs going head to head

Reigning ISU World Champions Deanna Stellato-Dudek/Maxime Deschamps (CAN) had a few ups and downs this season but proved that they are back in business with a strong Free Skating at the ISU Four Continents Champions in February, where they claimed the silver with a season best of 210.92 points. However, the Pairs field is very deep with five top teams that are close in scores. It will come down to the performance on the day.

Deanna Stellato-Dudek/Maxime Deschamps (CAN), here pictured at the ISU Four Continents Championships in Seoul (KOR), have found new confidence © ISU

• Minerva Hase/Nikita Volodin (GER/seasons best 218.44): The 2024 ISU World bronze medalists are on a golden trail this season, winning their second ISU Grand Prix Final and their first ISU European title.
• Riku Miura/Ryuichi Kihara (JPN/seasons best 217.32): The 2023 ISU World Champions are looking for their fourth consecutive World medal, preferably the gold. They come fresh off a victory at the ISU Four Continents Championships.
• Sara Conti/Niccolo Macii (ITA/seasons best 211.05 points): The couple from Bergamo made history by winning the first ISU European title and the first ISU World medal for an Italian pair in 2023. After a strong season that includes the silver medal from the ISU European Championships, the team seems ready for more.
• Anastasiia Metelkina/Luka Berulava (GEO/seasons best 213.05 points): The two-time ISU World Junior Champions continue their rise this season and collected bronze medals at the ISU Grand Prix Final and the ISU European Championships.

Minerva Hase/Nikita Volodin (GER), here pictured at the ISU European Championships in Tallinn (EST), are ready to challenge for the podium again © ISU

Other contenders include ISU Four Continents bronze medalists Lia Pereira/Trennt Michaud (CAN), ISU Grand Prix Finalists Ellie Kam/Danny O’Shea (USA) and Rebecca Ghilardi/Filippo Ambrosini (ITA) as well as Maria Pavlova/Alexei Sviatchenko (HUN) and home town Skaters Alisa Efimova/Misha Mitrofanov (USA).

The defending champions Stellato-Dudek/Deschamps are ready for the battle.

“We have been working really hard,” Deschamps said. “We had some stuff we didn't like in our performance at Four Continents and we came back home working a lot on them especially.”

The Canadians feel they are on the right track. 

“Practice all year has been going really well,” Stellato-Dudek stated. “It's been the competitions that have been a little bit harder for us. So at some point, it has to translate. Maybe we just needed to relax a little bit, like we were in the free program at Four Continents.”

The game plan for Boston is clear for Deschamps: “Just let it go, just let the skating happen and not try to do everything too good. Let’s just do it.”

The Ice Dance showdown

The Ice Dancers are preparing for a spectacular showdown in Boston. Two-time and reigning ISU World Champions Madison Chock/Evan Bates (USA) come back to Boston where they won the bronze medal nine years ago at the ISU World Championships. Will they earn a third consecutive World title in front of an enthusiastic home crowd? The husband-and-wife team leads the seasons best rankings with 219.85 points. But the heat is on with the challengers at their heels.

Madison Chock/Evan Bates (USA), here pictured at the ISU Grand Prix Final in Grenoble (FRA), are aiming for a third World title in front of a home crowd © ISU

• Piper Gilles/Paul Poirier (CAN/seasons best 218.46 points): The ISU World silver medalists edged out Chock/Bates for the ISU Four Continents title last month and are eager to win their first World title.
• Charlène Guignard/Marco Fabbri (ITA/seasons best 215.63 points): The two-time ISU World medalists won their third consecutive ISU European Championships in style and claimed silver at the ISU Grand Prix Final.
• Lilah Fear/Lewis Gibson (GBR/seasons best 210.65): The ISU Grand Prix Final bronze medalists have been close to the ISU World podium, finishing fourth the past two years. They are eager to take the next step.

Piper Gilles/Paul Poirier (CAN), here pictured at the ISU Four Continents Championships in Seoul (KOR) are confident in their abilities © ISU

Other top Ice Dance couples to watch include 2025 ISU European silver medalists Evgeniia Lopareva/ Geoffrey Brissaud (FRA) who are on the rise this season, 2023 ISU European bronze medalists Juulia Turkkila/Matthias Versluis (FIN), two-time ISU Four Continents bronze medalists Marjorie Lajoie/Zachary Lagha (CAN), 2024 ISU European bronze medalists Allison Reed/Saulius Ambrulevicius (LTU) and Olivia Smart/Tim Dieck (ESP) who have turned heads this season.

“We're really excited to be heading to Boston,” Chock said. “Home Worlds has been something that we've been talking about for a while and are really excited that we have the opportunity to participate in another one. We're feeling very prepared. Training has been going well. And we've just been really polishing up our programs and fine tuning things and feel like they're in a really, really great spot.”

 The expectations are high for the two-time World Champions. 

“There's always like a little bit (of pressure), but pressure is a privilege and one that we have gratefully become accustomed to and that we're not taking for granted because we have worked extremely hard to get to this point in our careers,” Chock shared. 

“At this point, pressure is a privilege is really the best statement that can be made because we're so honored to be here and in our position and to look back and see how far we've come and what we've sacrificed to make it to this point,” she added.

“Boston in particular is a great host,” Bates noted. “Looking back on 2016, we have the fondest memories. The Skating Club of Boston is always a great club that really knows how to put on a great event. We know the community has been through hard times and we're really looking forward to bringing a great event.”

What’s new? 

Experience the ISU World Figure Skating Championships, the pinnacle event of the season, in a new way with improved sport presentations, featuring new modern LED rink boards, as well as an LED-enhanced skaters’ entrance gate and Kiss & Cry - all designed to engage fans and viewers in innovative ways. In addition, and for the first time at a World Championships, a “Leaders’ Chair” will be installed next to the Kiss & Cry to welcome the leading skaters of the last two groups of the Free Skating and Free Dance segments. This will improve the spectators’ experience while offering skaters an unobstructed view of the ice, increasing the excitement as they watch their competitors.

Remembrance moment 

While celebrating the sport of Figure Skating, the community does not forget those that were lost. At the start of the Championships, the ISU - together with US Figure Skating and the Skating Club of Boston - will remember and honor the victims of the aviation tragedy of January 29 where 28 young athletes, parents and coaches lost their lives. This “Remembrance moment” will take place on Wednesday, March 26^th, at 18:15pm (local Boston time). 

Road to Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games

The 2025 ISU World Figure Skating Championships in Boston will serve as the primary qualification event for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina. The first quota places will be allocated during the World Championships in Boston and the remaining ones at the Olympic Qualifying competition in Beijing (CHN) from September 17-21, 2025 (read more here). 

What and when 

The schedule of the ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2025 is as follows:

Wednesday, March 26:  Women’s & Pairs Short Programs
Thursday, March 27:  Men’s Short Program & Pairs Free Skating
Friday, March, 28:  Rhythm Dance & Women’s Free Skating
Saturday, March 29:  Free Dance & Men’s Free Skating
Sunday, March 30:  Exhibition Gala & ISU Figure Skating Awards

A total of 190 Skaters representing 42 countries have been entered for the Championships: 39 Men, 33 Women, 23 Pairs and 36 Ice Dance couples. Boston hosts the ISU World Championships for the second time after 2016 and this the 14^th time that the USA are hosting the event.

For more information, full entry lists and results, visit the ISU event page of the ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2025 and the official event website of the Championships. Follow the discussion on social media using #WorldFigure and #FigureSkating.

Where to watch the ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2025:

The ISU World Figure Skating Championships will be live streamed on the Skating ISU YouTube Channel. Geo-restrictions will apply in markets where TV rights are in place. You will find the full list in the Where to Watch news here. 

Subscribe to the Skating ISU YouTube Channel to receive alerts when the live streams start and when new videos are posted.