Ilia Malinin, known as the “Quad God” in the world of figure skating, seemed destined for Olympic greatness even before he set foot on the ice.
MILAN, Metropolitan City of Milan — This standout talent from Team USA figure skating was seemingly born with Olympic potential coursing through his veins well before his first competition.
Ilia Malinin has earned the moniker “Quad God” thanks to his extraordinary skill in executing the challenging quadruple axel jump repeatedly in a single routine. His athletic prowess appears to be a family trait, as both of his parents are Olympic athletes.
Born to Tatiana Malinina and Roman Skorniakov, Ilia has a rich heritage in figure skating. Although his parents hail from Russia, they represented Uzbekistan in the Winter Olympics of 1998 in Nagano and 2002 in Salt Lake City. Their achievements extend beyond the Olympics, with Tatiana securing gold at the Four Continents Championships and the Grand Prix Final, while Roman claimed a silver medal at the Asian Winter Games.
Who are Ilia Malinin’s parents?Â
After moving to Virginia, the couple married in 2000 and became parents to Ilia and his younger sister, Elli Beatrice.
Reflecting on his early start in figure skating, Ilia has often attributed his swift introduction to the sport to his parents, recounting how he spent countless hours at the rink during his childhood.
Ilia credited his parents for his early figure skating start during a recent interview, saying he was brought to the rink numerous times during childhood.
“My parents were at the rink from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day,” Ilia said. “They really didn’t want me to go into figure skating. They hoped that I would have tried to pick another sport or another hobby, but I really enjoyed skating.”
Ilia’s parents confirmed that during an interview with the International Skating Union, saying they knew the sacrifices, hard work, and time that the sport required and wanted a different life for Ilia. But, they confessed that once Ilia began skating, it came naturally to him.
“We waited until his was six and a half when he constantly asked us ‘Can I go on the ice? Can I go on the ice?” Tatiana said during the interview. “Finally, we decided, okay, let’s do that just for fun.”
“I don’t think we ever even thought about competing,” Roman said. “He would just bring his own music and create his own programs. He tried to do different things. And then we ended up in this.”
