VIewers and spectators were in the edge of their seats to see if skater Ilia Malinin would do something that figure skating experts once believed might never happen at the Olympic Games.
During the men’s singles free skate at the 2026 Winter Olympics, Malinin, all of 21 years old, was expected to attempt a quadruple Axel, which would have been the first in Olympic history (though he has landed that jump in competition before).
Ahead of the long program, Malinin sat in first place in men's singles with a short program score of 108.16, a full five points ahead of second-place Yuma Kagiyama from Japan. But Malinin made several uncharacteristic mistakes, falling twice and turning his potential quad Axel into just a single.
"This is shocking…he lost almost 72 points in those jumping mistakes," said Olympic gold medal winner and commentator Tara Lipinski, adding, "He could be off the podium."
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Ahead of Malinin’s short program, former Olympic gold medalist Scott Hamilton was asked about the rising star’s technical abilities and didn’t mince words.
“He’s doing things I never thought I’d see in my lifetime,” Hamilton said. Olympic gold medal winner Tara Lipinski added, "[The quad Axel] is a jump the sport once considered impossible."
The quad Axel is widely considered the most difficult jump in figure skating. Unlike all other jumps, the Axel takes off facing forward and lands backward, adding an extra half rotation that dramatically increases the difficulty. As a result, a quadruple Axel requires a skater to complete four and a half full revolutions before landing cleanly on one foot.
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Malinin, known to fans by his longtime nickname “Quad God,” had already made history by landing the jump in international competition beginning in 2022. But until now, no skater had ever completed it at the Olympics.
Malinin’s achievement builds on an already historic Olympic run. Earlier in the Games, he played a pivotal role in securing gold for his team in the 2026 Winter Olympics team event, finishing second in the short program and first in the free skate to clinch the victory.
Born in Fairfax, Virginia, Malinin comes from a family steeped in figure skating. His mother, Tatiana Malinina, and father, Roman Skorniakov, both competed at the Olympic level for Uzbekistan. Malinin began skating in 2011 and has rapidly become one of the sport’s most transformative figures. Going into the 2026 Olympics, he had won 14 competitions in a row, not losing since the 2023 France Grand Prix.
In recent seasons, he has further expanded his technical arsenal, incorporating on-ice backflips into his programs after the International Skating Union lifted its ban on the move.
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