Team USA figure skater Ilia Malinin is one of the biggest names at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina — but he’s set out to prove that, despite his incredible talent on the ice, he’s not so different from the fans watching at home.
“Everyone sees me at competitions and I’m just so focused, I’m really in a different mindset where I’m pretty much as perfect as I can be,” Malinin, 21, exclusively told Us Weekly before the start of the Games. “But in reality, I’m not perfect. I’ll have bad days, I’ll have good days. It’s really the thing that tells people, ‘Oh, he’s really human like the rest of us.’”
In a shocking turn of events, Malinin failed to medal in the men’s free skate on Friday, February 13, after falling twice in competition.
“I was not expecting that,” Malinin told NBC after his performance. “I felt so ready getting on that ice. Maybe I was too confident it was going to go well.”
Keep reading to learn more about what makes Malinin tick, both on and off the ice.
Ilia Malinin Is From a Family of Figure Skaters
Ilia Malinin’s Russian-born parents, Tatiana Malinina and Roman Skorniakov, represented Uzbekistan at the Winter Olympics twice: Nagano in 1998 and Salt Lake City in 2002.
Born in Virginia, Malinin started being trained by his parents when he was 6 years old.
Ilia’s grandfather Valery Malinin is also a figure skating coach and formerly competed for the Soviet Union.
Ilia Malinin Wants to Make Figure Skating Cool Again
Success for Ilia at the 2026 Winter Olympics is about far more than standing on top of the podium.
“My perfect idea for success for the Olympics is to really bring back a huge majority of popularity in skating,” Ilia explained. “Just bring it back to its prime days where, decades ago, all arenas were sold out for anything related to skating. It was extremely popular. It was televised on every single channel. That’s something I really want to bring back.”
He added, “A lot of people will be watching the Olympics, so I think that’s where I can inform them about this idea.”
MILAN, ITALY – FEBRUARY 03: Ilia Malinin of Team United States takes part in a training session on day minus three of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Ice Skating Arena on February 03, 2026 in Milan, Italy. Matthew Stockman/Getty Images
Ilia Malinin Loves His ‘Quad God’ Nickname
Ilia has been nicknamed the “Quad God,” a reference to him being the first skater to land a quadruple axel in competition — and the ease he routinely performs them with.
“I definitely embrace the nickname,” Ilia said. “I think it gives me my motivation and my reasons for why I perform so well.”
Ilia became the first skater to land the quad in competition at the 2022 CS U.S. International Classic.
At the 2025 Grand Prix Final in December, Ilia landed seven quads in a single program on his way to his third consecutive Grand Prix title.
“Hearing the name Quad God, you just have to be ready,” Ilia added. “For me specifically, I like to set standards. I always like to push myself to the limit, or push myself to my own limits and really just try to see that progress.
MILAN, ITALY – FEBRUARY 01: Ilia Malinin attends the Team USA Welcome Experience at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympics on February 01, 2026 in Milan, Italy. Joe Scarnici/Getty Images for USOPC
Ilia Malinin Is a Proud Cat Dad
When Ilia needs a break from the pressure of being the best figure skater in the world, he has an easy way to alleviate the stress: spending time with his two ragdoll cats, Mysti and Miu Miu.
“They were a gift for me for winning my second World Championships,” Ilia said. “I’m pretty happy to have them. They’ve really made my life so much better. It really helps my mood. Maybe I’ll have a bad day and coming home and seeing the cats gives you something to talk your mind off [skating].”
He added, “They really comfort me, as well. I’m lucky to have that.”
Away From the Rink, Ilia Malinin Loves EDM and Video Games
While figure skating takes up most of Ilia’s life, he still finds time for his favorite hobbies.
“I’ll spend my time watching videos or movies or playing video games,” Ilia said. “That’s my bigger passion I like to do when I’m like, ‘OK, I need some time away from thinking about figure skating. Let me hop on my gaming computer real quick and play a few hours.’ That’s something that helps me.”
Ilia also enjoys “painting, drawing, reading books and making music.” When asked what genre of music he enjoys making most, he said, “probably electronic music.”
