Amber Glenn made history by winning the Grand Prix Final, becoming the first U.S. women's singles figure skater to do so since 2010. Despite minor errors and physical discomfort, Glenn's performance, highlighted by her consistent triple Axel, secured her victory over Japan's top skaters. This win marks a significant achievement in her career, following a series of challenges, including injuries and illness. Fellow Americans Ilia Malinin and ice dancers Madison Chock and Evan Bates also claimed titles, marking a successful event for the U.S. team.
Team USA dominated the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final in Beijing, winning three gold medals. Madison Chock and Evan Bates became the first U.S. ice dancers to go undefeated in a calendar year since 2013, while Ilia Malinin secured his second Grand Prix gold. Leah Neset and Artem Markelov won the junior ice dance gold, marking the first for Team USA since 2016. The U.S. men have also secured a medal every year since 2016.
American figure skater Ilia Malinin, 19, made history by becoming the first person to land a quadruple axel during a short program at the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final in Beijing. Despite falling during the free skate, he achieved a career-best score of 207.76 and won the title with a total of 314.66 points. Malinin, known as "quadg0d" on Instagram, had previously landed the jump in competitions last year but had removed it from his programs this year due to the higher risk involved. The quadruple axel requires four-and-a-half revolutions in the air and had been limited to a triple for 44 years.
