Ilia Malinin on how Uno Shoma and Kagiyama Yuma are pushing him: 'We're always trying to one-up each other' - exclusive
The 19-year-old seeks a second consecutive U.S. national title this weekend (25-28 January), but is also eyeing March's World Championships: 'I want to have one solid competition' there, he says.
Figure Skating
As Ilia Malinin prepares to defend his U.S. national title this week (25-28 January) in Columbus, Ohio, the 19-year-old is crediting two international rivals with his continued motivation.
Wait, scrap the "rivals" part, says the teen.
"I don't have any rivalry between [any of] my competitors," he told Olympics.com in an exclusive interview after winning his first Grand Prix Final last month. "[It] always seems like we're always trying to one-up each other. But I think that's the fun of figure skating: We're always trying to motivate each other and to try to push each other to be better in certain aspects."
Malinin was speaking, specifically, about fellow GP Final medallists Uno Shoma and Kagiyama Yuma, the Japanese Olympic medallists and - in Uno's case - the two-time and reigning world champion, who he says he still can barely believe have gone from idols to peers in less than two years.
"I think that especially with Shoma, having competed with him now for a couple of years, it's just so nice that he's pushed me to develop a better technical and artistic side," Malinin said. "And I see that he's mentioned that I've also helped [to] motivate him to also work on his confidence and his mentality. So it's just amazing how we have this respect towards each other now. We're always like helping each other out.
He added: "Both of them just gave me a really good challenge to try to push myself."
The trio's next forecasted clash comes in March at the World Championships in March, which marks the halfway point to the coming Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026. Is it a preview of those Games?
Ilia Malinin on his quad Axel - and fast rise in skating
"Sometimes I guess I still underestimate myself and I think that I can't really control [my skating]," an honest Malinin said after his win in Beijing, which came by way of 17 points between him and Uno, who claimed the silver.
Malinin was helped by a successfully landed quadruple Axel in the short program, the jump still something that only he and he alone has been able to pull off in competition. Ilia took it out of his programs during the Grand Prix Series, but added it back in Beijing - and says its part of his regular practice routine.
"Leaving [the quad Axel] out for the two Grand Prixs was really crucial for me for only not only to qualify [for the Final], but to also just sort of work on getting those second component marks to really get that base," Malinin said.
"I always practise it no matter what, so every day I keep practising it so that I still have that consistency."
His win at the Final was the biggest of his career, a shift that has come at a lightening-fast pace as quick as his rotation for the quad Axel: He hadn't skated in a major international event at this time two years ago.
He'll head to Montreal in March as one of - if not the - favourite/s.
"For me to [win the Final] is just something that, you know, two years ago that I would never think I'd be able to achieve that."
Malinin: 'I want one solid competition' at Worlds
What comes first for Malinin is nationals in Columbus, where he is defending champion and favourited in a field that doesn't boast another top-tier international skater. Two-time Olympian Jason Brown won silver a year ago even as he geared down his comeptition schedule.
2024 could spell the same story, as American fans arrive at Nationwide Arena wondering if they'll see zero, one or two quad Axels.
Malinin's mindset is indicative to how fast he's risen: While Columbus is a near-future focus, Montreal is what he's aiming for.
"I think I have to put a lot of focus and just prepare mentally and physically for Worlds to really just be in the best shape, in the best condition," Malinin expalined. "I have to have, you know, my best arsenal of jumps in combination with, spins, good artistry, good creativity, all of those things. I just really [want to] combine it into one solid competition."
While the attention is focused around that quad Axel - and Malinin's cadre of quad jumps - he's doing his best to keep his own attention elsewhere. One vehicle? A football packed in his bag for each event he heads to.
"I have a tradition where I bring a soccer ball to every competition... it's like a good luck charm for me," he said. "I also use it to warm up. It's sort of this tradition I started and ever since that, I was like, 'I have to have a soccer ball at every competition.'"
The footwork off the ice? It's pretty good. And on it - even better.