Meet Ilia Malinin, figure skating ‘quad god’ who’s the favourite for a Winter Olympic gold
Both parents of the record-breaking, two-time World Champion American figure skater represented Uzbekistan in the Winter Olympics
At only 21 years old, he has already been dubbed the world’s greatest figure skater and has earned the nickname “quad god” for being the only skater ever to land a quad axel in competition. Malinin first showcased the jump, a difficult feat that requires four and a half rotations, at the 2022 US International Classic. He has since performed his signature move multiple times.
Here’s everything to know about the buzziest athlete taking on the Winter Olympics in 2026.
He has been skating since he was six
Malinin was born in December 2004, in Fairfax, Virginia, to Tatiana Malinina and Roman Skorniakov – both figure skaters who competed in the Olympics for Uzbekistan. Malinin’s grandfather Valery Malinin is also a former figure skater for Russia where he currently works as a skating coach.
Coming from a family of skaters, it should have been only natural that Malinin took a liking to the ice, but he had a preference for the football fields in his younger years, per Team USA’s website.
When he was six, his parents introduced him to the rink and encouraged him to stick to the sport. “Be patient, he’ll [gain] his triple jumps, [and then] you won’t be able to drag him away,” his grandfather correctly predicted – although Malinin does still enjoy football.