World figure skating championships: Women's short program underway at TD Garden

USA Today

26-03-2025

World figure skating championships: Women's short program underway at TD Garden
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Top U.S. figure skaters gather to honor flight crash victims with show
U.S. figure skating's biggest names are coming together for 'Legacy on Ice', a tribute show for the victims of the tragic flight crash on January 29th.
Sports Pulse
BOSTON — The 2025 world figure skating championships get underway today, with the first of four days of competition at TD Garden in Boston. It's the first time the world championships have been in the United States since 2016.
As the last major international competition before the 2026 Winter Olympics, these world championships will not only help determine Olympic quota spots but also set the stage for Milan-Cortina. It's a chance for athletes to see how they stack up, and it will largely determine which skaters will enter the Olympics as the favorites to land on the podium.
The first day of competition starts with the short program in women's singles, as Amber Glenn, Isabeau Levito and Alysa Liu will all take the ice for the U.S. The pairs short program is scheduled for later tonight, following an in-arena tribute to the members of the figure skating community who died during the mid-air collision over the Potomac River earlier this year.
Here's the latest from Day 1:
Here's a rundown of when the American skaters will be on the ice today.
2:35 p.m. ET: Alysa Liu, women's short program
4:20 p.m. ET: Amber Glenn, women's short program
4:26 p.m. ET: Isabeau Levito, women's short program
7:37 p.m. ET: Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov, pairs short program
9:31 p.m. ET: Ellie Kam and Danny O'Shea, pairs short program
This figures to be one of the more interesting competitions at this week's world championships. In the absence of Russia, which usually dominates this discipline, there are a handful of skaters who could end up atop the podium.
As the three-time defending world champion, Japan's Kaori Sakamoto has to be considered the favorite. But American Amber Glenn is right there, too, having beat Sakamoto head-to-head in multiple competitions -- including the Grand Prix final late last year. Isabeau Levito, who is returning from injury, also could be in the mix here. Ditto for Chaeyeon Kim of South Korea and Mone Chiba of Japan, among a host of others.
USA Network will televise part of the women's short program this afternoon, beginning at 3 p.m. ET. The entirety of all sessions will be available on NBC's streaming service, Peacock.
Here is the complete schedule for the 2025 world figure skating championships, with channel and television coverage start times in parentheses.
Wednesday, 12:05 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. ET: Women's short program (USA Network, 3 p.m.)
Wednesday, 6:45 p.m. to 10:21 p.m. ET: Pairs short program
Thursday, 11:05 a.m. to 4:44 p.m. ET: Men's short program (USA Network, 3 p.m.)
Thursday, 6:15 p.m. to 9:55 p.m. ET: Pairs free skate (USA Network, 8 p.m.)
Friday, 11:15 a.m. to 4:54 p.m. ET: Rhythm dance (USA Network, 3 p.m.)
Friday, 6 p.m. to 9:52 p.m. ET: Women's free skate (NBC, 8 p.m.)
Saturday, 1:30 p.m. to 4:50 p.m. ET: Free dance (USA Network, 3 p.m.)
Saturday, 6 p.m. to 9:52 p.m. ET: Men's free skate (NBC, 8 p.m.)
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At 25 years old, Amber Glenn has blossomed over the past year into one of the brightest stars in American figure skating.
Since finishing 10th at last year's world championships in Montreal, she has won all five of the competitions in which she's been entered − including U.S. nationals and the Grand Prix final late last year. One of the keys to Glenn's rise has been her improvement with the famed triple axel, a jump that offers a substantial score if landed successfully.
While Glenn has struggled with the jump at times this year, she is one of the few American women to have landed it clean in international competition. If she can do so this week, it will go a long way toward helping her win her first world title.
Isabeau Levito, the reigning world silver medalist, is not just back at the world championships but also back from injury. A bone injury in her foot kept her sidelined for roughly three months.
'Yeah, it was frustrating to just sit at home and do nothing,' Levito said Tuesday. 'But it gave me a new perspective, and I take all of this for granted less. I feel much more grateful for what I do have and being able to skate every day and being able to jump.'
Levito returned to competition for an Olympic test event last month but missed nationals. U.S. Figure Skating essentially gave her a bye to compete at worlds, based on past performance and pending her physical readiness.
The first night of the 2025 world championships will also feature a poignant tribute to the members of the figure skating community who died in the mid-air collision near Washington National Airport on Jan. 25.
All told, 28 skaters, coaches and parents died in the collision − including six from the Skating Club of Boston, which is helping host the world championships at nearby TD Garden.
The tribute is scheduled to begin at 6:15 p.m. ET and precede the start of the pairs competition thereafter.
Ilia Malinin, the 20-year-old defending world champion from Reston, Virginia, will take the ice for the first time at the 2025 world championships on Thursday afternoon. He is expected to perform his short program in the latter part of the competition window, likely after 4 p.m. ET. That portion of the session will be televised on USA Network.