Figure skating world champions Alysa Liu and Ilia Malinin kicked off their 2025–26 seasons right where they left off: on top.
The Americans, who both won world gold in March, lead the standings after the short program Friday (12 September) at the 2025 ISU Challenger Series Lombardia Trophy in Bergamo, Italy.
In the women’s competition, Liu scored 69.62 to hold a small lead over fellow American Sarah Everhardt, who earned a 69.16 total. Japan’s Sumiyoshi Rion rounded out the top three at 68.87.
Skating to ‘This is How it Feels‘ as performed by Laufey and d4vd, Liu opened with two strong jumping passes: her double Axel and triple flip. But, in the second half of her skate, the 20-year-old looked slightly tentative as she under-rotated and stepped out of a triple Lutz, triple loop combination.
Malinin, the two-time and reigning world champion, used his trademark technical excellence to soar to the top of the standings. His 108.87 was well clear of Olympic silver medallist Kagiyama Yuma’s 95.44 total. Japan’s Miura Kao is third at 92.76.
In Friday’s short program, Malinin’s jumping passes were quadruple flip, triple Axel and quadruple Lutz, triple toeloop.
The women’s free skate is set for Saturday, while the men take centre stage on Sunday.