diff --git a/docs/components/topicComponent.md b/docs/components/topicComponent.md
index b11931ed1..a23908b9a 100644
--- a/docs/components/topicComponent.md
+++ b/docs/components/topicComponent.md
@@ -229,7 +229,7 @@ private _initVideoPlayer() {
    ```typescript
    this.plyrInitialized = false;
    this.plyrNeedsInit = false;  // Added: was missing before
-   ```loads Plyr overlay
+   ```
 - [x] Subsequent visits to SAME task loads Plyr overlay correctly
 - [x] Switching between different video tasks works
 - [x] Native video elements (non-YouTube) still work
@@ -238,17 +238,6 @@ private _initVideoPlayer() {
 - [x] Video controls are fully interactive on all visits
 - [x] Cleanup properly destroys old Plyr instances
 
-**Loading Indicators (Added January 16, 2026):**
-- [ ] Skeleton loader appears immediately when navigating to topic with video
-- [ ] Skeleton has correct 16:9 aspect ratio (400px mobile, 450px desktop)
-- [ ] Skeleton disappears when YouTube/Vimeo embed finishes Plyr initialization
-- [ ] Skeleton disappears when native video triggers `canplay` event
-- [ ] Fade-in animation plays smoothly after skeleton disappears (300ms)
-- [ ] Skeleton clears on video error (test with invalid video URL)
-- [ ] No flash of unstyled content between skeleton and video
-- [ ] Skeleton has proper ARIA attributes (`role="status"`, `aria-label`)
-- [ ] Loading state doesn't get stuck (test rapid navigation between topics)
-
 **Poster Behavior (Updated January 16, 2026):**
 - [x] No poster overlay blocks video interaction (Plyr `poster: false` config)
 - [x] No console errors about poster removal
diff --git a/projects/v3/src/app/components/topic/topic.component.html b/projects/v3/src/app/components/topic/topic.component.html
index 1eac64235..c5c4497c0 100644
--- a/projects/v3/src/app/components/topic/topic.component.html
+++ b/projects/v3/src/app/components/topic/topic.component.html
@@ -6,13 +6,14 @@
       #topicVideo
       *ngIf="!iframeHtml && videoSrc"
       [attr.id]="'topic-video-' + topic.id"
-      class="topic-video"
+      class="topic-video video-embed"
       [ngClass]="{'desktop-view': !isMobile}"
       width="100%"
       controls
       controlsList="nodownload"
-      preload="auto"
+      preload="metadata"
       playsinline
+      disabled
       [src]="videoSrc"
       (canplay)="onVideoCanPlay($event)"
       (error)="handleVideoError($event)"
diff --git a/projects/v3/src/app/components/topic/topic.component.ts b/projects/v3/src/app/components/topic/topic.component.ts
index 3a87070c4..1311f72ca 100644
--- a/projects/v3/src/app/components/topic/topic.component.ts
+++ b/projects/v3/src/app/components/topic/topic.component.ts
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ import { SafeHtml, DomSanitizer } from '@angular/platform-browser';
 import { FilestackService } from '@v3/app/services/filestack.service';
 import { NotificationsService } from '@v3/app/services/notifications.service';
 import { BehaviorSubject, exhaustMap, filter, finalize, Subject, Subscription, takeUntil } from 'rxjs';
-import { Activity, Task } from '@v3/app/services/activity.service';
+import { Task } from '@v3/app/services/activity.service';
 import { ComponentCleanupService } from '@v3/app/services/component-cleanup.service';
 
 @Component({
@@ -40,6 +40,7 @@ export class TopicComponent implements OnInit, OnChanges, AfterViewChecked, OnDe
   private plyrNeedsInit = false;
   private plyrInitialized = false;
   private destroy$ = new Subject<void>();
+  private plyrInstances = new WeakMap<Element, Plyr>();
 
   constructor(
     private embedService: EmbedVideoService,
@@ -130,10 +131,13 @@ export class TopicComponent implements OnInit, OnChanges, AfterViewChecked, OnDe
     if (this.videoNeedsInit && this.topicVideo?.nativeElement) {
       this.videoNeedsInit = false;
 
+      // Capture the videoSrc value to avoid race conditions
+      const capturedSrc = this.videoSrc;
       requestAnimationFrame(() => {
         const videoEl = this.topicVideo?.nativeElement;
-        if (videoEl && this.videoSrc) {
-          videoEl.src = this.videoSrc;
+        // Validate that the video element still exists and the src hasn't changed
+        if (videoEl && capturedSrc && videoEl.src !== capturedSrc) {
+          videoEl.src = capturedSrc;
           videoEl.load();
         }
       });
@@ -176,15 +180,16 @@ export class TopicComponent implements OnInit, OnChanges, AfterViewChecked, OnDe
     this._pauseResetAndReplaceMediaElements('video');
 
     // destroy and remove all plyr instances
-    const plyrElements = this.document.querySelectorAll('.plyr');
+    const plyrElements = this.document.querySelectorAll('.plyr__video-embed');
     this.utils.each(plyrElements, (plyrEl: HTMLElement) => {
-      if ((plyrEl as any).plyr) {
+      const plyrInstance = this.plyrInstances.get(plyrEl);
+      if (plyrInstance) {
         try {
-          (plyrEl as any).plyr.destroy();
+          plyrInstance.destroy();
         } catch (e) {
           console.warn('error destroying plyr instance:', e);
         }
-        (plyrEl as any).plyr = null;
+        this.plyrInstances.delete(plyrEl);
       }
     });
 
@@ -261,10 +266,9 @@ export class TopicComponent implements OnInit, OnChanges, AfterViewChecked, OnDe
         }
       });
 
-      // store plyr instance reference for cleanup
-      (embedVideo as any).plyr = plyrInstance;
+      // store plyr instance reference for cleanup using WeakMap
+      this.plyrInstances.set(embedVideo, plyrInstance);
 
-      embedVideo.classList.add('topic-custome-player');
       if (!this.utils.isMobile()) {
         embedVideo.classList.add('desktop-view');
       }