Ilia Malinin: The Quad God Shines at MilanCortina Winter Olympics

On Friday evening at the Winter Olympics in MilanCortina, American figure skater Ilia Malinin is the top contender for gold in the individual event. Already a gold medalist from the team tournament, this would mark his second Olympic victory in just a few days. For a 21-year-old making his Olympic debut, this double achievement would be remarkable, but for Malinin, it’s a natural progression of his dominance in the sport. For quite some time, Malinin has captivated audiences with his unique flair and creativity on ice, performing daring combinations that few others would consider attempting. Most notably, he made history as the first skater to successfully execute a quadruple axel—a jump he brilliantly landed for the first time in competition back in 2022. In figure skating, jumps are categorized by the number of rotations performed in the air. Generally, the more complex the jump, the higher the scoring potential. While all jumps can achieve quadruple status with four rotations, the axel is particularly special. It’s the most intricate jump in the figure skating lexicon, valued significantly higher due to its forward take-off and backward landing, which incorporates an extra half rotation. Typically, an axel jump carries a value around 1 point, but the quadruple variation can score at least 1.25 points. The requirement of greater power and height involved in an axel makes the quadruple variant exceedingly rare; no skater had landed one prior to Malinin's groundbreaking performance. What’s even more astounding about Malinin's quadruple axel is the sheer physics behind it. With skates weighing about 0.9kg each, he can leap up to 0.83 meters, almost reaching the vertical elevation of professional basketball players, while spinning at speeds of 350 rotations per minute—essentially 5.8 rotations per second. When he lands on one foot, he absorbs a force exceeding 300 kg. Despite these formidable demands, Malinin appears almost effortless. His success can be attributed to both natural talent and rigorous training. With parents who were former Olympic skaters and the privilege of contemporary coaching techniques—including video analysis—Malinin has the ideal athlete's physique at 174 centimeters tall and 64 kilograms. Training six days a week and executing around 50 jumps per session has prepared him for the heights he now reaches. Demonstrating boldness in his performances, Malinin frequently opts for higher difficulty levels rather than playing it safe, a strategy that pays off handsomely. He made history a year ago as the first skater ever to successfully perform all six quadruple jumps in a single program. Unsurprisingly, he refers to himself as the 'Quad God' on social media, reflecting both humor and confidence in his abilities. His programming doesn’t merely involve quadruples; Malinin integrates them into intricate sequences which often exceed the point values of a standalone quadruple axel. For instance, he astounded in 2022 by combining a quadruple lutz, an euler, and a triple salchow, a display of technical prowess that he has replicated multiple times. In the competitive arena, his risk-taking has been rewarded significantly. Remarkably, Malinin outperformed his competitors by a staggering 30 points in the Grand Prix final by executing seven quadruple jumps in one program—an unheard-of margin in a sport typically decided by fractions of a point. His Olympics began with a slight hiccup; Malinin's short program debut on February 7 saw him finish second—a result below his own standards. In an interview with the Washington Post, he candidly reflected on feeling unprepared by the chaos of the Olympic atmosphere. Seeking tranquility, he temporarily relocated from Milan to Bergamo for focused training. However, he bounced back and led the United States to victory in the team event. During the long program, he executed five quadruple jumps alongside a triple axel, scoring nearly six points more than the second-place skater despite a slip. As the individual competition unfolded on February 10, Malinin shone once again, amassing an impressive score of 108.16 points in the short program, surpassing the second-place competitor by five points. As anticipation builds, he has yet to perform the highly-anticipated quadruple axel in competition at these Olympics, but all eyes are on him as he prepares for the free program, a climactic finale where he is expected to attempt this remarkable jump. Related Sources: • Source 1 • Source 2