The quad axel is the most difficult skill in figure skating — and the only person ever to land one in competition is Ilia Malinin. The 21-year-old, fresh off his fourth straight U.S. national title, is the heavy gold-medal favorite at this year’s Olympics because he has mastered the quad — a jump with four full revolutions in the air (the axel requires an extra half-rotation because the skater takes off facing forward).
Asked how he achieved it, Malinin laughed, “The human body can do amazing things. And I guess I’m one of them!” His nickname, “Quad God,” sprang from a casual Instagram handle change after landing his first quad; he then set out to earn the name. At the Grand Prix Final this past December he became the first person to land seven quadruple jumps in one competition.
His record-breaking ability has turned him into a superstar: for the sport and in part because of his swagger, fashion choices, rap music selections and even occasional back-flips. Skating runs in his family — he grew up in Virginia and is coached by his parents, both former Olympians. His father, Roman Skorniakov, and mother, Tatiana Malinina, were born in Russia and skated for Uzbekistan. They initially didn’t want him to skate again because they knew the sacrifices required — yet both he and his sister now skate.
We met Malinin on the ice in Boston while a New York Times crew filmed him in super-slow motion. His mother watched from the stands but, true to habit, she won’t attend the Olympics in person because she worries too much. When asked whether he ever skates to prove his parents wrong, he said yes: even with the quad axel, they were skeptical and he wanted to “prove you wrong.”
For Malinin, the pursuit of perfection is everything. Even when he lands a jump, he remains picky. Reviewing footage with the Times crew, he said, “That was okay. Ehhhh, I’m really picky. So far I think this is the best one. I have one or two in me more.” Practice, he believes, does make perfect.
To appreciate how difficult the quad axel is: “You need to be able to use your power, use your muscle to gain enough speed to be able to then lift yourself into the air and to get enough torque to be able to create four-and-a-half rotations, and you’re all doing this on one leg,” Malinin said — landing with half a ton of force on a blade about an eighth of an inch thick.
The quad axel helped propel Malinin to the top. He has been undefeated since November 2023 and is headed to his first Olympics. In 2022, his first senior season, he won silver at Nationals but was not chosen for the Beijing Games; officials favored a more seasoned skater. Malinin says that decision pushed him: “I think if it wasn’t for that decision, I don’t think I’d be here in this moment — landing a quad axel or trying to really revolutionize the sport.”
Is a five-rotation jump next? “We’ll see,” he said. “Maybe soon. Maybe after Olympics.”
As the favorite at the Games, Malinin still feels nerves. “They’re still there,” he admitted. But once the music starts he slips into an autopilot, tunnel-vision mode where muscle memory takes over and competition feels like practice.
WEB EXCLUSIVE: Extended interview — Ilia Malinin (Video)
For more info:
– Ilia Malinin (Official site)
– Ilia Malinin on Instagram
– Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026
Story produced by Wonbo Woo. Editor: Jason Schmidt.