2024 World Figure Skating Championships

The 2024 World Figure Skating Championships were held from 18 to 24 March at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Canada. Sanctioned by the International Skating Union (ISU), the World Championships are considered the most prestigious event in figure skating. Medals were awarded in men's singles, women's singles, pair skating, and ice dance. The competition determined the entry quotas for each skating federation to the 2025 World Championships. Ilia Malinin of the United States won the men's event, Kaori Sakamoto of Japan won the women's event, Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps of Canada won the pairs event, and Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the United States won the ice dance event. At age 40, Stellato-Dudek became the oldest woman to win a gold medal at the World Championships.

The World Figure Skating Championships are considered the most prestigious event in figure skating.^[1] The 2024 World Championships were held from 18 to 24 March at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Canada.^[2] Montreal had originally been scheduled to host the 2020 World Championships, which were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.^[3]

The number of entries from each nation for the 2024 World Championships was based on the results of the 2023 World Championships. These nations were eligible to enter more than one skater or team in the indicated disciplines.^[4] Skaters from Russia and Belarus were banned from participating "until further notice" due to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.^[5]

The International Skating Union published the initial list of entrants on 27 February 2024.^[6]

Women competing in single skating first performed their short programs on Wednesday, 20 March, while men performed theirs on Thursday, 21 March.^[14] Lasting no more than 2 minutes 40 seconds,^[15] the short program had to include the following elements:

For men: one double or triple Axel; one triple or quadruple jump; one jump combination consisting of a double jump and a triple jump, two triple jumps, or a quadruple jump and a double jump or triple jump; one flying spin; one camel spin or sit spin with a change of foot; one spin combination with a change of foot; and a step sequence using the full ice surface.^[16]

For women: one double or triple Axel; one triple jump; one jump combination consisting of a double jump and a triple jump, or two triple jumps; one flying spin; one layback spin, sideways leaning spin, camel spin, or sit spin without a change of foot; one spin combination with a change of foot; and one step sequence using the full ice surface.^[17]

The top 24 skaters after completion of their short programs moved on to the free skating component. Women performed their free skates on Friday, 22 March, while men performed theirs on Saturday, 23 March.^[14] The free skate for both men and women could last no more than 4 minutes,^[15] and had to include the following: seven jump elements, of which one had to be an Axel-type jump; three spins, of which one had to be a spin combination, one a flying spin, and one a spin with only one position; a step sequence; and a choreographic sequence.^[18]

Couples competing in pair skating also first performed their short programs on Wednesday, 20 March.^[14] Lasting no more than 2 minutes 40 seconds,^[15] the short program had to include the following elements: one pair lift, one double or triple twist lift, one double or triple throw jump, one double or triple solo jump, one solo spin combination with a change of foot, one death spiral, and a step sequence using the full ice surface.^[19]

The top 20 couples after completion of their short programs moved on to the free skates, which were performed on Thursday, 21 March.^[14] The free skate could last no more than 4 minutes,^[15] and had to include the following: three pair lifts, one twist lift; two different throw jumps; one solo jump; one jump combination or sequence; one pair spin combination; one death spiral; and a choreographic sequence.^[20]

Couples competing in ice dance performed their rhythm dances on Friday, 22 March.^[14] Lasting no more than 2 minutes 50 seconds,^[15] the theme of the rhythm dance this season was "music and feeling of the eighties".^[21] Teams could select any music provided "it was originally released in the decade of the 1980s" and maintained "the essence of the 1980s".^[21] The rhythm dance had to include the following elements: one pattern dance step sequence, one choreographic rhythm sequence, one short dance lift, one set of sequential twizzles, and one step sequence while not touching.^[21]

The top 20 couples after the rhythm dance moved on to the free dance, which was held on Saturday, 23 March.^[14] The free dance could last no longer than 4 minutes,^[15] and had to include the following: three short dance lifts or one short dance lift and one combination lift, one dance spin, one set of synchronized twizzles, one step sequence in hold, one turns sequence while on one skate and not touching, and three different choreographic elements.^[21]

All of the technical elements in any figure skating performance – such as jumps and spins – were assigned a predetermined base point value and then scored by a panel of seven or nine judges on a scale from –5 to 5 based on their quality of execution.^[22] The judging panel's Grade of Execution (GOE) was determined by calculating the trimmed mean (the average after discarding the highest and lowest scores), and this GOE was added to the base value to come up with the final score for each element. The panel's scores for all elements were added together to generate a total elements score.^[23] At the same time, the judges evaluated each performance based on three program components – skating skills, presentation, and composition – and assigned a score from 0.25 to 10 in 0.25-point increments.^[24] The judging panel's final score for each program component was also determined by calculating the trimmed mean. Those scores were then multiplied by the factor shown on the following chart; the results were added together to generate a total program component score.^[25]

Deductions were applied for certain violations like time infractions, stops and restarts, or falls.^[26] The total elements score and total program component score were added together, minus any deductions, to generate a final performance score for each skater or team.^[27]

Medals were awarded to the skaters or teams who achieved the highest overall placements in each discipline.

Small medals were awarded to the skaters or teams who achieved the highest short program or rhythm dance placements in each discipline.

Small medals were awarded to the skaters or teams who achieved the highest free skate or free dance placements in each discipline.

The following new record high score was set during this event.

After a disastrous short program, where he finished in nineteenth place, Adam Siao Him Fa of France rallied back in the free skate with a performance that included four successful quadruple jumps, ultimately finishing second in the free skate and third overall. This was the largest comeback in the history of the World Championships.^[30] Meanwhile, Ilia Malinin of the United States set a new record for the highest score in the free skate. His score of 227.79 beat the previous record held by Nathan Chen, also of the United States. Malinin's free skate included six quadruple jumps, including his signature quadruple Axel.^[29]

At age 40, Deanna Stellato-Dudek of Canada became the oldest woman to win a gold medal at the World Championships. She had competed in single skating as a teenager, winning a gold medal at the 1999 Junior Grand Prix Final and a silver medal at the 2000 World Junior Championships, before retiring in 2001 due to injury.^[33] She returned to skating as a pair skater in 2016, first with Nathan Bartholomay and competing for the United States, and then with Maxime Deschamps and competing for Canada. When speaking about her record-setting accomplishment, Stellato-Dudek stated that "it is something I take with huge pride. I hope others can be inspired to stay around a lot longer, not only in sport, but also in other aspects of life.”^[34]

Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the United States won the ice dance competition with a new season-best total score, becoming the most decorated ice dance team at the World Championships with a total of five medals. Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier of Canada finished in second place, despite receiving the highest score in the free dance. "I haven't really fully digested it yet," Gilles said afterward. "It still feels like we haven't done it, to be able to just stand there at the end and just embrace all of our friends and family that were here to experience that moment with us was just something we can only dream of."^[36] Gilles and Poirier had been in third place after the rhythm dance, but their high score in the free dance allowed them to win the silver. Charlène Guignard and Marco Fabbri of Italy finished in third place.^[36]

Based on the results of the 2024 World Championships, these nations would be eligible to enter more than one skater or team at the 2025 World Figure Skating Championships in the indicated disciplines.^[38]

• "Special Regulations & Technical Rules – Single & Pair Skating and Ice Dance 2022". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 13 September 2023. Retrieved 13 September 2023.

• 2024 World Championships at the International Skating Union
• 2024 World Championships at Skating Scores