CHASING GLORY

'Quad God' Ilia Malinin leads a Team USA figure skating squad that past champions describe as the strongest ever to go to the Winter Olympics

- BY MANDY TAHERI

AT 17, ILIA MALININ PULLED OFF THE unthinkable on ice, becoming the first skater in the world to complete the sport’s hardest jump in competition.

He launched forward, snapped his body through four-and-a-half revolutions midair and landed on one blade, completing the quadruple axel.

That 2022 performance at the U.S. International Figure Skating Classic in Lake Placid and his subsequent regular inclusion of the move have cemented his nickname “Quad God.” But this spectacular feat is just the beginning of his legacy, as he continues to change the sport and its future ahead of his Olympic debut in February.

In sweats stamped with his black-and-gold Quad God insignia, the young athlete spoke with Newsweek ahead of a show at the University of Pennsylvania's ice rink in December. He had just returned from Japan, where he delivered a record-breaking performance at the Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final, landing not only the highest-ever number of quads in a single free skate (seven), but also the highest score the sport has seen, 238.24. His skate broke his previous record of 228.97. That's often the case with Malinin—he sets the standard and then surpasses it himself.

Back on home soil, his playful confidence plus his excitement about his skate and the upcoming Milan Cortina Winter Olympics are palpable. “I definitely think I’m really defining the sport and changing the sport, but I feel like I’m also starting to pave a path for the younger generation,” the 21-year-old says in the warm-up room.

Malinin’s effortless-looking quadruple axel, abbreviated as 4A on the leather jacket he wears around the rink, will not only help propel him toward the top of the podium in Italy but is part of a broader boom for U.S. figure skating.