The 21-year-old athlete has already won a gold medal at Milano-Cortina.
The 2026 Winter Olympics are underway, and Ilia Malinin is already getting a lot of attention. The talented skater impressed viewers around the world by helping Team USA win gold in the team figure skating event. But fans will see him compete again in Italy, as he’s also aiming for gold in the individual competition—and his chances look strong.
Read on to learn more about Ilia Malinin, including his unexpected childhood connection to the Winter Olympics.
Ilia Malinin Is 21 Years Old
Ilia Malinin was born on December 2, 2004, in Fairfax, Virginia, and grew up in Vienna, Virginia. He is currently 21 years old.
Ilia’s career began when he was a child
Ilia began figure skating when he was six years old. He made his international debut in 2019 and finished 16th at the World Junior Championships. Since then, he has won several medals in competitions both in the U.S. and internationally.
Ilia’s parents also participated in the Winter Olympics
Ilia’s parents, Tatiana Malinina and Roman Skorniakov, are also his coaches and former Olympic skaters. Roman represented Uzbekistan at the 1998 and 2002 Winter Olympics, while Tatiana also competed for Uzbekistan and placed eighth in Nagano.
Ilia has already made figure skating history
Ilia is the first skater ever to successfully land a quadruple axel in competition, which is considered one of the most difficult jumps in figure skating.
Ilia dubbed himself “the Quad God” on Instagram
Ilia gave himself the nickname “Quad God” when he created his Instagram account, a title that reflects his success with difficult quad jumps.
Ilia has a signature move in figure skating
Ilia is also known for performing backflips during his routines, which has become one of his standout moves on the ice.
