The four-time national figure skating champion from Virginia, the only person in the world to have landed a quad axel in competition, is the heavy favorite for gold at this year’s Winter Olympics.
The quad axel is the most difficult skill ever performed in figure skating – and the only person in the world who has ever landed one in competition is Ilia Malinin. If you haven’t heard his name before, you will soon.
The 21-year-old, who recently won his fourth straight national title, is the heavy gold medal favorite for this year’s Olympics, because he has mastered the «quad» – a jump with four revolutions in the air.
Asked how he was able to achieve that, Malinin laughed, «The human body can do amazing things. And I guess I’m one of them!»
There are six types of jumps in figure skating. The axel is the hardest, because it’s the only one where the skater starts off facing forward, meaning it has an extra half-rotation.
Malinin’s nickname? «Quad God.» The name came about when he tried changing his Instagram handle: «I was like, ‘Oh, I landed a quad? Quad God, there it is, okay, let’s put it in'», he said. «And from there everyone’s like, ‘Why’d you name yourself Quad God? You only have one quad.» And I’m like, ‘Well, now that I think about it, maybe I should try to land all of them to get the Quad God status.'»
And so, he did. At the Grand Prix Finals this past December, he landed seven quadruple jumps, the first person ever to do so.
His record-breaking skill has made him a superstar in the sport, as has his swagger, his nickname, his fashion sense, and his choice of music, skating to rap. He even started doing back-flips.
Skating is a family affair for Malinin, who grew up in Virginia. He is coached by his parents, both former Olympians themselves.
