Meet the Olympians: What to Know about Team USA Figure Skater Ilia Malinin

Ilia Malinin, nicknamed the "Quad God," is a 21-year-old U.S. figure skater competing at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics on NBC and Peacock as he seeks his first Olympic gold. Born in Fairfax, Virginia, on December 2, 2004, Malinin began skating at age 6 and is a student at George Mason University.

His parents, Roman Skorniakov and Tatiana Malinina, are former Uzbekistan Olympic skaters who together won 17 Uzbek Figure Skating Championships. Malinin’s résumé includes World Junior champion (2021–2022), two World Championships (2023–2024, 2024–2025), three Grand Prix Final titles (2023–2024, 2024–2025, 2025–2026) and four U.S.

national championships (2022–2023 through 2025–2026). He made history by landing the first quadruple axel in competition at the 2022 U.S. International Figure Skating Classic, earning a Guinness World Record and his nickname. After serving as an alternate for the 2022 Winter Olympics, Malinin will make his Olympic debut in 2026.

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