As Ilia Malinin adds more artistic layers to his skating, he still wants to be known as ‘the quad God’
The American teen, the reigning world bronze medallist, has been working with Shae-Lynn Bourne on his choreography and artistry. He kicks off the 2023-24 Grand Prix Series at Skate America.
Figure Skating
For the second season in a row, American teenager Ilia Malinin says his focus is figure skating’s “second mark” – his choreography and artistry.
But that doesn’t mean the 18-year-old recent high school graduate and reigning world bronze medallist wants to give up his well-known nickname in the sport, “the quad God.”
“I feel like there's really no limit for me [with jumps],” he told reporters on a call last week ahead of the Grand Prix Series kicking off at Skate America this weekend (20-22 October).
“Looking over my body and making sure everything's healthy, I think that I can push myself in a way to basically defy physics.”
Malinin remains the lone skater to successfully land a quadruple Axel (four-and-a-half rotations) in competition, but said he doesn’t have plans on attempting the jump in Allen, Texas, to open his Grand Prix season, mostly because he wants to “play it a bit more safe” and successfully qualify for December’s Grand Prix Final, which features only the top six skaters from each discipline.
“At the Final I might add the quad Axel and quad loop,” Malinin of the two big point-getting jumps. “In terms of the Grand Prix Series, I want to try to skate clean programs. That's my main goal."
Ilia Malinin: 'The focus is that second mark'
International figure skating is a numbers game these days: Every moment on the ice is a chance to rack up more points. Malinin has earned his 'quad God' moniker not only for his historic Axel but also a bevy of four-rotation jumps he puts out program after program.
What has lagged, however, is his artistry. At the 2023 World Championships, Malinin finished third behind Uno Shoma of Japan and the Republic of Korea’s Cha Junhwan. Uno, a two-time Olympic medallist, outscored Malinin by 13 points overall, but 19 points in that second mark. Cha, the silver medallist, beat Ilia by eight points, buoyed by a 14-point advantage in artistry.
The Japanese and Korean stars are the perfect examples of modern-day male skaters who have combined their gigantic jumping power with enchanting movement on the ice.
“[We’re working on] flexibility, getting more coordination, the lines and angles that you make with your arms and legs [to] look a lot cleaner,” Malinin said of that detailed work on his own artistry, which has been overseen by respected choreographer Shae-Lynn Bourne. “It looks a lot nicer.”
Malinin finished high school earlier this year and is taking classes part-time at George Mason University near where he lives in Fairfax, Virginia. One of those is a dance class, where he’s focused on growing the above to improve his work with Bourne.
The family (Malinin is coached by his parents, both Olympic skaters) has considered a move to Southern California, where Bourne (as well as Rafael Arutunian, another member of Malinin’s coaching team) is based.
“That could be really beneficial for us to move to work with Shae-Lynn a lot more,” Malinin confirmed to reporters. “Right now that's our focus for the next couple of years: To really polish that second mark.”
Pressure and expectations: A balancing act
Malinin made his splash into the skating public’s consciousness at the U.S. Championships in 2022, when – as a 17-year-old – he stunned for the silver medal. He had little to no international senior experience, however, preventing him from being named to Team USA for the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022.
The (less than) two years since have been life-changing: He won two Grand Prix golds last year, a first U.S. title, and then won bronze at Worlds having been ninth in the 2022.
As the “quad God” name suggests, he loves big jumps – and equally the big stage.
“[I’m] always thinking about being at the top or medaling or... potentially winning the Olympics or a future Worlds,” Malinin said. “I mean, that's always [been] on my mind because it's one of the goals that I have always had.”
He continued: “But I also try to keep it real and just know where I am in terms of health and stamina, or just how I'm prepared for a competition so that I don't get in my head and don't have a lot of pressure on me.”
Malinin said he hypes himself a week or two before a major event and then likes to “get in the zone” when he’s on the ice there, otherwise the adrenaline can play tricks with his body.
“I really do feel like having all the eyes on me is [what] makes me want to perfect any small little detail that might get in the way of me being who I really want to be,” he explained. “Also, at the same time, I always like to be a little bit realistic, [too.]”
Ilia Malinin: The next chapter
This season marks the halfway point for skaters to Milano Cortina 2026, the perfect juncture for experimentation, exploration and a homing in on what works on the ice.
Malinin has exhibited a zest for as much with his focus on his artistry, while simultaneously not backing away from the quad jumps that have helped deliver him to the top of the sport internationally.
He has had mixed results with the quad Axel, however, and – with how points are distributed – a safer approach could be more reliable. That doesn’t deter Ilia, however.
“I think it would make sense to try to do triple Axels... but for me, I really like to take that risk and really go for it,” he said with a smile. “Not just for the added reward that you get for the GOE that you could get, but also for the audience that's watching. Now [the quad Axel] is my signature move that I really like to hype everyone around that [jump]. Of course everyone wants to see it, but that's why I'm going to keep practicing and practicing and hopefully eventually I'll maybe add two quad Axels in the long program just to really bring that hype around it.”
Malinin says his programs are “a lot more difficult” this season versus a year ago, with Bourne choreographing both of them. His “Malagueña” short program is a stark contrast with his dramatic Succession free skate.
But the goal is the same for each: “Feel the music and feel what artistry I can bring.”
Of course, Malinin is trying to execute at a top level and impress the judging panel, but his fan-forward approach – he hopes – pays off in the long run.
“If you're in that moment and try to be yourself, [the crowd] really appreciates that,” he said. “I think for me, that's a big key: Try not to think of it as a really big thing and be able to enjoy the ice and enjoy the performance and entertain the audience.
“I really want show them my personality with my skating.”