If there's one Olympic athlete who has us glued to our TV, it's Ilia Malinin. On February 8, 2026, the 21-year-old figure skater—nicknamed "Quad God"—helped USA clinch gold in the figure skating team event, which was also his Olympic debut.
But despite all of the attention from reporters, Malinin quickly shifted the focus to his teammates. "It really came down to the energy, the support, the passion from my whole team, supporting me, cheering me on," he said after the event. "I really went out there and just decided, 'Okay, let the nerves down. You just really need to get into that zone and just let things happen.' And I'm proud of myself and proud of my team for all the work they've put into this. Without each other, we wouldn't have gotten this medal."
Two days later—on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026—Ilia returned to the ice for the Men's Short Program. It's basically the "first half" of the main event: While the scores are a huge deal, they’ll be combined with Friday's Free Skate scores to determine who walks away with the Olympic medals. Malinin skated to the "The Lost Crown" from the Prince of Persia game soundtrack and proved exactly why he is the favorite for individual gold. He finished the day in first place with a massive score of 108.16, beating out Japan's Yuma Kagiyama and setting himself up for Friday's free skate.
But while he's absolutely crushing it on the ice, everyone wants to know about Ilia's life off the ice. From his current relationship status to why he uses his mom's last name, here's everything we know about Ilia Malinin.
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No, he's single by choice because he wants to put all of his energy and focus onto the Olympics. That means the only girls he's cuddling with are his two cats—Mysti and Miu Miu. "My cats can be very funny," he told Vulture. "They’re very chaotic at times, and they just run around at midnight while I’m trying to sleep. They jump into my room and start running around, jumping on the bed, jumping on things."
Is Ilia Malinin Russian?
No, Ilia Malinin is American. He was born in Fairfax, Virginia, and has lived in the U.S. his entire life. Ilia's parents—Tatiana Malinina and Roman Skorniakov—were born in Russia and represented Uzbekistan in the 1998 and 2002 Winter Olympics. The couple moved to the U.S. before Ilia was born and built a life in Virginia. Ilia has a younger sister—Elli "Liza" Beatrice Malinina—who also skates. Both Elli and Ilia are students at George Mason University.
Related: Four Siblings Achieve Historic First With Winter Olympic Gold Medal
Does Ilia Malinin have Instagram?
He sure does! You can follow him at @ilia_quadg0d_malinin. Lately, his feed is mostly comprised of tagged interviews and press moments, but if you scroll down a bit, you'll find content he's created and shared—like this moment at an LA Dodgers game:
View this post on InstagramRelated: Get to Know USA’s Figure Skating Team and When They Will Compete During the Winter Olympics
Yes, he does—and we love that he uses his platform to speak out about mental health. In one profound post, he writes, "In the age of the internet expansion, the role social media plays on mental health includes correlations of heightened anxiety, depression, loneliness, thoughts of self-harm, poor sleep quality, increased levels of psychological distress, and lower life satisfaction. The virtual world can be noisy, isolating, and cruel."
He continues, "Figure skating brings the extraordinary ability to connect deeply with an audience, both live and online. But a dark side emerges from the digital animosity masked as harmless opinion. As a byproduct of social media hostility, self-doubt fills the human mind. Self-hatred fills the human mind. All elite athletes and artists under a spotlight experience this in some capacity, yet may be fearful to speak out. But this part of reality needs to be uncovered too. Spread the word."
@ilia_quadg0d_malininn the age of the internet expansion, the role social media plays on mental health includes correlations of heightened anxiety, depression, loneliness, thoughts of self-harm, poor sleep quality, increased levels of psychological distress, and lower life satisfaction. The virtual world can be noisy, isolating, and cruel. Figure skating brings the extraordinary ability to connect deeply with an audience, both live and online. But a dark side emerges from the digital animosity masked as harmless opinion. As a byproduct of social media hostility, self-doubt fills the human mind. Self-hatred fills the human mind. All elite athletes and artists under a spotlight experience this in some capacity, yet may be fearful to speak out. But this part of reality needs to be uncovered too. Spread the word. Coming February 2026. Choreography by Randi Strong and Ilia Malinin (Me) Audio by @Jacob Sanchez Video by @ilia's fan club president & @ilia malinin’s blonde hair dye #mentalheath #figureskating #iliamalinin #quadgod #socialmedia
♬ original sound - user21100737266Is Ilia Malinin the only person to land a quadruple axel?
Yes. As of February 10, 2026, Ilia Malinin remains the only skater in history to successfully land a quadruple axel in an international skating competition.
He first landed it in September 2022, shocking the skating world and earning the nickname "Quad God." While skating legends have attempted it, no one else has rotated and landed it cleanly in a sanctioned event.
Malinin hits a backflip at the 2026 Winter Games.Photo by Tim Clayton on Getty Images
Ilia's parents were concerned that his dad's last name—Skorniakov—would be too difficult for Americans to pronounce, so they decided to give Ilia his mother's last name. No typos here: While her last name is Malinina, they changed it to the masculine version—Malinin—in Ilia's case.
How does Ilia Malinin pronounce his name?
During interviews, Ilia pronounces his name "MA-li-nin." The emphasis is usually placed on the first syllable and the last two syllables rhyming with linen.
Yes! But he also gets highlights that take his locks to platinum blonde.
How to watch Ilia Malinin in the 2026 Winter Games
Mark your calendars! Ilia Malinin will compete for the individual gold in the Men's Free Skate finals on Friday, Feb. 13 at 12:45 p.m. ET. You can watch him live on the USA Network, or stream the event on Peacock.
Up next: From Tragedy to Triumph: One Year After His Parents’ Deadly Plane Crash, Maxim Naumov Stuns in His Olympic Debut
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