Ilia Malinin: The Quad Axel King and US Figure Skating’s Olympic Hopeful

Editor’s note, February 9, 1:20 pm: This piece on Ilia Malinin was published before the 2026 Winter Olympics began. At the figure skating team event over the weekend — a competition that featured men’s, women’s, pairs, and ice dancing — Malinin came in second in the short program and helped the US team take gold by winning his free skate with a score of 200.03 points. The phenom will compete in men’s individual figure skating, which begins on Tuesday, February 10.

Figure skating is, at its core, a sport built on tension. Athletes push the boundaries of physics, balancing on a razor’s edge of steel and executing gravity-defying feats. Millimeters separate triumph from disaster, and victory often hinges on the smallest of margins. But watching American Ilia Malinin skate often feels…different. He doesn’t just compete. he redefines what’s possible, landing the most difficult jumps with an almost unsettling consistency. The question isn’t often *if* he’ll succeed, but rather who will be left competing for second place.

The 21-year-old, dubbed the “quad god,” isn’t simply a talented skater; he’s a force reshaping the landscape of the sport. His astonishing jumping ability, particularly his mastery of the quadruple axel, has made him the overwhelming favorite for gold at the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics. Malinin is already changing how figure skating is perceived in the United States, challenging the very limits of what’s believed achievable within the discipline. A win in Milan wouldn’t just be a personal triumph; it would be a historic moment for the sport.

And perhaps the most staggering thing to consider as he competes in these Olympics? Ilia Malinin may still be improving.

Why the Quad Axel Makes Ilia Malinin the Favorite for Figure Skating Gold

Even for those unfamiliar with the intricacies of figure skating, the triple axel is a legendary jump – a three-and-a-half revolution maneuver that has defined countless Olympic routines. Canadian Vern Taylor first landed it in international competition in 1978, and generations of skaters have since strived to perfect it. The axel is considered the most challenging of all jumps due to its unique forward takeoff, requiring an extra half rotation compared to other jumps. A triple lutz, while difficult, is worth fewer points precisely because it lacks this added complexity.

Over time, skaters began adding more revolutions to the other five recognized jumps – the flip, loop, lutz, toe loop, and salchow. But adding an additional revolution to the axel seemed insurmountable. It appeared the human body simply wasn’t capable of generating the necessary height, speed, and torque while maintaining control on the ice.

Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan, widely regarded as one of the greatest figure skaters of all time, attempted a quad axel at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, but was unable to land it cleanly. It seemed to confirm the prevailing belief that the jump was beyond human capability.

Then, Ilia Malinin did the impossible. At the age of 17, he landed the first quadruple axel in history – a feat officially recognized by the International Skating Union only when performed in competition – approximately 22 seconds into his long program at Skate America in Norwood, Massachusetts. Since that breakthrough moment in 2022, Malinin has consistently dominated the competition, losing only one major event – a second-place finish at the 2023 Grand Prix de France.

The secret to Malinin’s success remains somewhat elusive. If there were a definitive explanation for his ability to land the quadruple axel when others cannot, the skating world would be clamoring for the answer. But, as with other generational athletes, there’s an element of the inexplicable.

Figure skating experts suggest Malinin’s exceptional technique allows him to maximize height and rotation on his jumps. Scientific studies have also analyzed his technique, suggesting he jumps higher vertically on the quad axel compared to his peers’ triple axels. But there’s a degree of “Malinin magic” at play.

“We see a differentiator,” Jackie Wong, a skating journalist, analyst, and founder of the website Rocker Skating, told Vox. “It is something that allows Ilia to build up such a huge advantage that he can win competitions by a massive number of points over the best skaters in the world.”

The current scoring system in figure skating rewards risk. The most difficult elements are assigned the highest point values. Landing these elements cleanly – and Malinin consistently does – translates directly into higher scores. And there is currently no element in men’s skating more difficult, or worth more points, than Malinin’s quad axel.

“We’ve seen skaters in the past who have done the risk and reward thing and put out a whole bunch of hard stuff, but then they don’t land it,” Wong said. “The amazing thing about Ilia is that he puts this really hard stuff out there and executes it.”

Comparing Malinin to other elite athletes, Wong settled on Simone Biles, arguably the greatest American athlete of all time. While both athletes possess unique talents, the comparison lies in their ability to consistently execute incredibly difficult skills at a level beyond their competitors. Like Biles, Malinin has transformed competitions into showcases of his dominance, consistently outscoring his rivals by significant margins. At the 2025 World Championships, Malinin defeated the world silver medalist Mikhail Shaidorov by over 31 points.

“He’s lost, I think, one competition in the last three years,” Wong said. “In figure skating, that’s pretty rare.”

What Ilia Malinin Means for US Figure Skating

Malinin’s performance in Milan has the potential to mark a significant milestone for US figure skating. A gold medal would be the first time since 1988 that the United States has won consecutive Olympic gold medals in men’s figure skating.

Beyond the medal count, Malinin represents a potential paradigm shift for the next generation of American skaters. After Scott Hamilton’s win in 1984 and Brian Boitano’s victory in ’88, the US men’s team experienced a prolonged gold medal drought. Evan Lysacek’s win in 2010 was considered an upset, and it wasn’t until Nathan Chen in 2022 that the US returned to the top of the podium.

Chen landed five quadruple jumps in his winning performance, a feat that was groundbreaking at the time. Malinin, who was watching from the sidelines, took note, according to Justin Dillon, the US Figure Skating’s chief of high performance.

“When we have an athlete in a discipline to look up to, all of the young athletes that watch the Olympics think, ‘I can do that too,’” Dillon said. “Ilia watching Nathan makes Ilia possible, and then the next generation watching Ilia makes them possible.”

Dillon, who previously served as US Figure Skating’s development director, has been instrumental in identifying and nurturing young talent. Several members of the 2026 US Olympic figure skating team, including Malinin, Alysa Liu, and Isabeau Levito, were discovered through his scouting efforts.

When asked about the key qualities US Figure Skating looks for in potential future stars, Dillon emphasized the ability to quickly rotate in the air. “Quads are usually developed in the teenage years, and you need to identify the talent before that age,” Dillon said. “Eight, nine, and 10 years old — pretty much around that age.”

This proactive approach to talent identification, focusing on rotational speed at a young age, represents a shift in strategy for US Figure Skating. It’s a recognition that the demands of the sport have evolved, and that early development is crucial for success.

How Good Can Malinin Get?

The debate over the balance between athleticism and artistry in figure skating is ongoing. Some argue that an increased focus on technical difficulty comes at the expense of artistic expression. However, Malinin possesses the potential to excel in both areas.

He cites Yuzuru Hanyu as an inspiration, and like Hanyu, Malinin demonstrates a commitment to blending technical prowess with artistic interpretation. Sandra Bezic, a Canadian champion pairs skater and choreographer, believes Malinin is eager to continue developing his artistic side.

“He’s such a charismatic performer. He cares about his connection to the audience. He cares about his music. He cares about his choreography,” Bezic said. “We’re all a little blinded by his incredible jumps, the multiple quads.”

Bezic emphasized the importance of life experience in shaping an athlete’s artistry. “You have to live. You have to experience life and loss and love. You can have innate qualities and feel the music and have that in you, but you won’t reach your potential until you’ve lived.”

The fact that Malinin, at 21, still has room to grow is a tantalizing prospect. He has already redefined the boundaries of the sport, and the possibility that he could become even more dominant injects a new level of excitement into his skating.