Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier Win First World Title for a U.S. Pair in 43 Years

The second day of competition at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2022 in Montpellier, France, was a golden one for U.S. skaters as Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier won the pairs World title.
 
Additionally, the men kicked things off with their short program, and Ilia Malinin leads the way for the U.S. in fourth place.
 
PAIRS
 
U.S. pairs figure skating is officially back on the map.
 
For the first time since Kyoko Ina and John Zimmerman won bronze in 2002, a U.S. pair was on the World Championship podium.
 
And the top step at that.
 
Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier won the first World title for a U.S. pair since Tai Babilonia and Randy Gardner took gold in 1979, 43 years ago.
 
It's a true extension of the legacy of U.S. pairs skating as Knierim and Frazier are coached by Jenni Meno and Todd Sand, who won two World bronze and one silver medal themselves in the '90s.
 
"It's an honor to join that club for the U.S., being World champions," Frazier said. "Tai and Randy, they were a phenomenal team. Todd and Jenni have been an absolute dream pair of coaches for me personally. They've built so much confidence in me as an individual. They're great coaches, but even better people, and I'm grateful to be a part of their camp."
 
Knierim and Frazier earned 144.21 points for their free skate to "Fix You" by Fearless Soul and Coldplay, and "Redemption Through Love" by Karl Hugo for 221.09 points overall.
 
Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara of Japan took silver while Vanessa James and Eric Radford of Canada took bronze.
 
Both Knierim and Frazier's free skate score and overall score set new international personal bests, and they did it under stressful, emotional circumstances.
 
Ashley Cain-Gribble and Timothy LeDuc skated immediately before them and were forced to withdraw from the free skate when Cain-Gribble went down hard on a jumping pass. She was attended to by medics and left the ice on a stretcher.
 
"I was startled because you remember how dangerous skating can be, and even when you're most prepared, something can happen," Knierim said. "But I knew there was nothing I could do in that moment to help them, so I just reserved my energy and told myself to stay focused and let the medical team do their part. I know that Ashley is a tough girl and she will bounce back from it."
 
Knierim and Frazier were able to collect themselves and throw down a program worthy of World champions.
 
"We're very proud of our performance tonight," Knierim said. "We lived every moment to the fullest. It was a bit of a fight, but we were excited and we really took the opportunity and seized it. I'm very proud of us."
 
After teaming up in March of 2020, Knierim and Frazier won the 2021 U.S. title in their first U.S. Championships together. They have since been the top U.S. team internationally, winning two Grand Prix medals. In their first World Championship appearance together in 2021, they placed seventh.
 
The duo withdrew from the 2022 Toyota U.S. Figure Skating Championships when Frazier tested positive for COVID-19 and were unable to defend their title.
 
"You just feel so defeated and empty inside, helpless," Frazier said. "I would tell Alexa I was just so sorry. I felt like I really let the team down in every way possible. It was a nightmare. At the end of the day, I look at my journey, and every time, I've been able to overcome it. I'm just grateful. And to sit here now, I can't believe it. I'm just humbled and grateful. I'm very lucky. I'm blessed, and I have a great partner. She helped me through all of this."
 
Knierim and Frazier went on to finish sixth at the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022.
 
Though it's only been two years of partnership, Knierim and Frazier have already been on quite the journey together. Both had competed at World Championships with previous partners – Knierim with husband Chris and Frazier with Haven Denney – and all of their experience allowed them to capitalize on the moment when it mattered most.
 
"Something that I've learned which has helped me find my confidence on the ice is that one program technically doesn't define you," Knierim said. "So although being a World champion is a great thing, it doesn't define who I am as a person. And when I keep that in perspective, I'm able to take the ice with a sense of clarity and peace that whatever I do on the ice that day is not going to change who I am as a person. And I knew today, when we went on the ice, there was a golden opportunity for us, but I kind of already felt golden in my own way. That whatever happened today, I would feel fulfilled with the journey I've been on with Brandon. And I think that allowed me to have freedom as we performed."

MEN
 
The chatter heading into the men's event in Montpellier was understandably about the absence of three-time World champion Nathan Chen, who withdrew due to a nagging injury
 
That opened the door for other U.S. men to step into the spotlight, and all three delivered clean, triumphant programs when the moment came.
 
U.S. silver medalist Ilia Malinin leads the way in fourth place, followed by Vincent Zhou in sixth and Camden Pulkinen in 12th.
 
The three Japanese skaters hold the top three positions in the short program. Shoma Uno is in first place with 109.63 points, Yuma Kagiyama is in second with 105.69 and Kazuki Tomono is third with 101.12.
 
Malinin scored 100.16 points for his short program to "Billie Jean" by David Cook, setting a new international personal best by a whopping 15.61 points.
 
"This is definitely one of my better skates in this season, and I'm very happy with how I skated," Malinin said. "I definitely felt relieved and excited that I'm here and representing Team USA, and I definitely delivered it today. I hope to deliver it on Saturday for the long."
 
Malinin had a breakout performance at the 2022 Toyota U.S. Figure Skating Championships, finishing second behind Chen in his senior debut.
 
While he was disappointed to not make the Olympic Team, Malinin says he didn't hang onto that feeling, shaking it off to prepare for his senior World Championship debut. In one World Junior Championships appearance, he placed 16th in 2020.
 
"I was able to do that relatively easy because you can't really have anything affect you," he said. "You just need to kind of take it in and kind of push it away and move on to what's in front of you."
 
Zhou, meanwhile, scored 95.84 points for his short program to "Vincent (Starry Starry Night)" by Josh Groban.
 
He made his second Olympic Team in January, but the Team Event silver medalist was forced to withdraw from the men's event after he tested positive for COVID-19.
 
Zhou has been very open about his struggle with mental health in the last month, and he wept into his hands on the ice after finishing his program.
 
"That was a very special program," Zhou said. "To be able to skate like that after missing the competition at the Olympics and just the absolute hell I've been through the last couple weeks, it just felt very, very special. Very emotional.
 
"Last week, I couldn't even get through a full program. I couldn't even do a good jump. And then I got here, got on the plane, took one step at a time, and managed to skate like that. So it definitely feels great."
 
Zhou is the 2017 World Junior champion and won bronze at the 2019 World Championships.
 
He of course wants to skate well in the free skate, and the podium is not out of reach. However, he's still just taking things day by day and avoiding putting unnecessary pressure on himself.
 
"Just being here is a big win for me, and I'm doing my best to enjoy myself out there and enjoy my time here in France," Zhou said. "No matter where I end up, even if I'm not in the last warm-up group after skating well, it doesn't matter. I'm going to enjoy my time here and make the best of it."
 
In 12th place, Pulkinen scored 89.50 points for his skate to "Come What May" by Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor from Moulin Rouge!, setting a new international personal best.
 
After finishing fifth at the U.S. Championships, this is his World Championships debut. He was added to the team as an alternate after Chen withdrew, only officially getting notice that he was on the team three days before leaving for France.
 
"It felt really good," Pulkinen said. "I was happy that I was able to deliver on kind of short notice from knowing that I was coming to Worlds. So I stayed healthy and trained, but it was really fun to deliver on this big stage."

The men's competition concludes on Saturday, March 26. Fans can watch the free skate from 4-6 p.m. on USA.

Friday's competition will kick off with the rhythm dance at 6 a.m. ET, followed by the women's free skate at 1 p.m. ET. Fans can watch the women's short program on Friday afternoon from 1-3 p.m. ET on USA, followed immediately by a live broadcast of the women's free skate from 3-5 p.m. ET. 

Check out behind-the-scenes content on the U.S. Figure Skating Fan Zone's competition central page.