The American Ilya Malinin was the heavy favorite to win the individual gold medal at the Olympic Games. The world watched as the self-proclaimed “Quadruple God” fell several times.
Of all people, the 21-year-old who became Grand Prix winner in December with a world record freestyle and seven perfectly executed quadruple jumps. No one had ever done that before him.
The ARD reporter and former world-class figure skater Daniel Weiss met Ilja Malinin at the “ART ON ICE” event in Zurich and spoke to him about the painful defeat in Milan, but also about the future of figure skating.
Sports show: The Olympic Games are only a week and a half old. Every sports fan knows your story. What did you learn from these Olympics?
Ilya Malinin: I learned that regardless of the outcome of the games, you should be grateful. It’s honestly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to compete on the biggest stage just every four years. No matter what happens there, I have received so much support.
I have so many more followers, so many more fans that support me and have really helped me feel how much of an impact I have on the sport. And especially now I notice when I’m just on the street, people recognize me now. It’s a huge difference. But now I have realized who I really am.
Sports show: Who are you?
Malinin: I’m Ilya Malinin, just this person who loves to have this passion for figure skating and likes to try everything.
Sports show: I still remember the time when I had a bad run and the nights that followed were difficult. I’m sure you had difficult moments, not just immediately after the free skate, but especially in the days after. How bad was it?
Malinin: Honestly, it wasn’t good. It felt like all the years of preparation and training up to that point had been completely in vain. We prepared so well. I was physically ready and it was supposed to be the easiest program of my life, honestly.
But the fact that it happened was really devastating. I was angry with myself for it. But now that I look at it, it all makes sense. That’s something I always think. And besides, it’s just figure skating. You just have to get back up and keep going the next day because it’s not the end of the world.
Sports show: I have seen many figure skaters fail. But the reaction to your mistakes that night was overwhelming because the whole world wanted to hug you because they felt sorry for you. Did you feel that too?
Malinin: Yes, absolutely. After those few days in which I wanted to block everything out and withdraw, I came back to reality. And then seeing all the support, seeing all the messages, even from celebrities like Tom Brady and Simone Billes, who have come forward and said, “Something like this happens, you’re still the best of the best.” And that a competition does not define who you are.
Sports show: You gave yourself the name “Quad God” in reference to your quadruple jumps. Have you ever regretted choosing that name?
Malinin: There were definitely moments where I doubted why I called myself that and why I didn’t just use my own name as a trademark. But it was also my motivation to really live up to this nickname. I mean, I called myself “Quad God” after I did the first quadruple jump (laughs).
So back then I didn’t actually deserve it. That then gave me the idea to try all the other quadruple jumps and try out crazy jumps, tricks and combinations. And then of course the quadruple Axel. I think it just helped me a lot and motivated me, and now I’m really proud to have the name.
Sports show: Our ratings for the Winter Olympics in figure skating were very good. Your video of the freestyle from the Grand Prix final in Nagoya was the most viewed video on Sportschau.de of 2025. Your jumping style, your crazy moves like the backflip, your cool and youthful choreography – all of this also appeals to a much younger generation of viewers that we have unfortunately lost. Aside from your jumps and records, what role do you see yourself in on the ice?
Malinin: You say it, I want to bring a little more youthful and cool energy to the ice and offer something that the younger audience can relate to. Figure skating used to seem like ballet on ice, but I think there are many more dance styles than just ballet.
Off the ice there is of course hip-hop, contemporary, tango and so on. In figure skating you naturally expect beautiful lines and simply an elegant feeling when skating. But there’s more to it than that. I see more and more people who like a really cool hip-hop-like, almost street style in figure skating. This is something that I personally enjoy.
Sports show: Everyone knows you can do all the quadruple jumps. You are already successfully working on fivefold. What else is possible?
Malinin: You always have to push your limits. I think the best way to put it is: anything is possible. In figure skating I try to test all the limits of my body to see how far I can go as an athlete, as an artist, as an athlete. I think there’s still a lot coming up for me, some really crazy things, quintuples and maybe a few cool acrobatics tricks, because I love that.
Sports show: There is now discussion about reducing the jumps and putting more emphasis on the artistic aspect of the sport again. What is your opinion on this?
Malinin: I think it’s absolutely good because figure skating is not just about jumping. It’s much more about how you present yourself on the ice, how you move to the music, how you do the choreography. Everything should fit together. But I absolutely do not agree that the jumps should be reduced because of this. I think you should give equal weight to both sides.
Example: You currently get four points for a step sequence that takes 40 seconds, the same as for a quadruple jump that only lasts 10 seconds. That’s why many people prefer to work on their jumps. I think the steps and pirouettes should be rewarded more so that the runners invest more in them.
Sports show: Is it true that your mom can’t watch you compete?
Malinin: No, she can’t because she gets too nervous. And you know, even me, when I see her nervous, it makes me even more nervous. Well, I don’t know either. (Laughs)
Sports show: And your dad looks so cool outside. You come off the ice and he casually says “well done, boy.”
Malinin: (Laughs) He seems like that on the outside, but inside he’s basically as nervous as my mother because his son is competing out there.
Sports show: Have you already thought about how you will approach the World Championships at the end of March? Do you want to change your program for the World Cup?
Malinin: I think I’ll proceed as usual. I will prepare the same way I would for any competition. Honestly, the most important thing is to just trust in my ability and stick with it.
