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:
Team USA’s Alysa Liu takes early lead in women’s short program
Alysa Liu made a dramatic entrance when her name was announced at TD Garden on Wednesday, cartwheeling in her skates before stepping onto the ice. And her short program was no less impressive.
Liu, who represented Team USA at the 2022 Beijing Olympics before briefly retiring, was nearly flawless in her debut performance at worlds, landing all of her jumps cleanly and rocketing into first place with a score of 74.58. Liu’s score was a full 10 points better than the previous leader, Sofia Samodelkina. Though there were still two more groups to come − including favorites Kaori Sakamoto of Japan and Amber Glenn of the United States.
Sofia Samodelkina impresses with short program
Before each skater takes the ice at TD Garden, the jumbotron flashes a message from that skater to the crowd. Sofia Samodelkina’s message? The show must go on.
For Samodelkina, a Russian-born skater who is now representing Kazakhstan, it was a fitting message. The 18-year-old is one of at least six Russian skaters at these world championships who switched nationalities following the country’s 2022 ban for invading Ukraine. And it preceded a brilliant program that temporarily moved Samodelkina, one of the few female skaters who has landed a quadruple jump in competition, into the lead with a score of 63.58.
When do the American figure skaters compete today?
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
Who are the favorites in women’s singles?
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.
What channel is the world figure skating championships on?
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.
World figure skating championships schedule
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.)
Watch the World Championships with Fubo free trial
Amber Glenn eyes podium to cap stellar year
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 back from injury, hoping for podium return
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.
World championships to pay tribute to crash victims
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.
When does Ilia Malinin compete at the 2025 world figure skating championships?
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.