Ilia Malinin’s short program for the 2026-27 figure skating season is, as he posted, “In honor of the past. In remembrance of those never forgotten.”
“From the depths of tragedy emerges a timeless tribute of remembrance,” the post read. “Through every note, sorrow becomes beauty, silence becomes memory, and the echoes of those lost live on forever.”
The post indicated that he will skate to music from Karl Jenkins’ Cantata Memoria: For the Children album.
The post included a 40-second video with references to American Airlines Flight 5342, which collided with an Army helicopter on Jan. 29, 2025, killing all 67 people aboard both aircraft, including 28 members of the U.S. figure skating community, among them skaters, skaters’ parents and a coach from the Washington Figure Skating Club that Malinin is part of.
Malinin dedicated his performances at the 2025 World Championships two months later to the memories of everyone on the flight.
Malinin, the three-time reigning world champion, makes his Grand Prix season debut at Saatva Skate America from Nov. 13-15.
