US figure skater Malinin becomes world champion in Prague

US figure skater Ilia Malinin won the World Championships in Prague on Saturday, claiming his third consecutive world title. Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama finished second and his compatriot Shun Sato took bronze.

Malinin, who led after the short programme, also delivered the best free skate and finished with 329.40 points, nearly 23 points ahead of Kagiyama. Czech skater Georgii Reshtenko placed 22nd.

Malinin landed five quadruple jumps in his free skate but did not attempt his signature quadruple axel. He ended his programme with a backflip, drawing loud applause from the crowd in the sold-out O2 Arena.