Who is Ilia Malinin? 'Quad God' might already be one of the greatest figure skaters of all time

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Ilia Malinin was given his "Quad God" nickname when he was just a child, and he has lived up to the billing.

The 21-year-old earned his first Olympic gold medal on Sunday as part of the mixed team event, and now he is the heavy favorite to get some individual hardware.

Malinin dominated his run in the short program on Tuesday at the Milan Cortina Games, positioning himself quite favorably for the medal event.

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Ilia Malinin competes during the figure skating men's team event at the Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

And this is just the beginning for someone who may one day be on the Mount Rushmore of figure skating when it's all said and done — if he's not already.

Figure skating is in Malinin's blood, as both of his parents competed in the Olympics and have impressive resumes themselves. Combined, his parents have 17 national championships in Uzbekistan.

Malinin was a prodigy, winning the 2016 U.S. national juvenile championship and the 2017 intermediate national championship. Malinin continued to dominate as a junior, winning gold at the World Junior Championships in 2022 in the free skate with a new junior world record of 88.99, winning by almost 42 points.

Despite his dominance, Malinin, just 17 at the time, was left off the Olympic roster in favor of veterans, which perhaps lit a fire under him.

Ilia Malinin competes during the men's figure skating short program at the Winter Olympics, in Milan, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

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