How Ilia Malinin Revolutionized Figure Skating with His Quadruple Axel

"Ilia Malinin was born to skate. The child of two Olympic skaters-Tatiana Malinina and Roman Skorniakov, who both competed for Uzbekistan-he first hit the ice at six years old. In the years since, he's skyrocketed to fame in the skating world, dubbing himself the " Quad God" for his ability to do multiple quadruple jumps with ease in a single program."

"The backflip wasn't just notable because it looked cool as hell on the ice. It was notable because he was the first figure skater to legally land a backflip at the Olympics. The International Skating Union banned the backflip in the late 1970s, calling it too dangerous. The ban wasn't lifted until 2024, and shortly thereafter Malinin did one in competition."

"Following Malinin's performance on Sunday, several observers pointed out that he was being praised for something Bonaly, a Black woman, was punished for 28 years ago. In a sport that has traditionally lacked diversity, it seemed like a slight. When contacted by the Associated Press following Malinin's performance, Bonaly said she was happy to see the move in an Olympic competition."

Ilia Malinin, son of Olympic skaters Tatiana Malinina and Roman Skorniakov, began skating at six and gained fame as the " Quad God" for performing multiple quadruple jumps in single programs. He led the U.S. figure skating team to gold in the 2026 Winter Olympics team event, ending his short program with a legally landed backflip and earning a 108.16 score without attempting his signature quadruple axel. The International Skating Union banned backflips in the late 1970s as too dangerous; the ban was lifted in 2024 and Malinin performed one in competition thereafter. Past instances include Terry Kubicka's 1976 Olympic backflip and Surya Bonaly's 1998 Nagano backflip, which previously drew penalties; Bonaly said she was happy to see the move at the Olympics.

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