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Ilia Malinin received his nickname “Quad God” when he was just a child, and he has lived up to the hype.
The 21-year-old claimed his first Olympic gold medal on Sunday as part of the mixed team event, and is now the heavy favorite to claim some individual hardware.
Malinin dominated his career in the short program on Tuesday at the Milan Cortina Games, positioning himself quite favorably for the medal event.
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Ilia Malinin competes during the men’s figure skating team event at the Winter Olympic Games in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
And this is just the beginning for someone who could one day be on figure skating’s Mount Rushmore when it’s all said and done, if it isn’t already.
Figure skating is in Malinin’s blood, as both of her parents competed in the Olympics and have impressive resumes. Together, his parents have 17 national championships in Uzbekistan.
Malinin was a prodigy, winning the 2016 US Junior National Championship and the 2017 Intermediate National Championship. Malinin continued to dominate as a junior, winning gold at the 2022 World Junior Championships in the free skate with a new World Junior Record of 88.99, winning by nearly 42 points.
Despite his dominance, Malinin, who was only 17 at the time, was left off the Olympic roster in favor of veterans, perhaps lighting a fire inside him.
Ilia Malinin competes during the men’s figure skating short program at the Winter Olympic Games in Milan, Tuesday, February 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
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Since then, he has won individual gold at the last two World Championships, three Grand Prix Finals and four US Championships, establishing himself as one of the greatest figure skaters of all time even before heading to Italy. In December, he set the world record for best free skate score with 238.24.
And no one has really come close to beating him. At last year’s world championships, Malinin’s margin of victory was greater than the points difference between the silver medalist and the ninth-place finisher.
Malinin scored 108.16 on Tuesday, enough to stay ahead of Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama, who scored 103.07, and France’s Adam Siao Him Fa, who scored 102.55.
Ilia Malinin performs a trick during the men’s figure skating short program at the Winter Olympics, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
At this point, it would be a stunning upset if anyone other than “Quad God” won gold later this week; They didn’t give him the nickname by accident. And at only 21 years old, a true dynasty could be on the rise.
