If there’s one breakout star of the 2026 Winter Olympics so far, it’s almost certainly America’s Ilia Malinin. The 21-year-old figure skater—nicknamed the “Quad God” for being the only athlete ever to land a quadruple axel in competition—has been having an incredible week. On Sunday, he helped the United States win team gold, and last night he took first place in the men’s singles short program.

Malinin, who began skating around age six, is the son of former Olympic figure skaters Tatiana Malinina and Roman Skorniakov. At the Milano Cortina Winter Games, he has won over audiences worldwide with his unique music selections, flashy costumes, and stunning backflips. But before heading to Italy, he visited the Vogue offices for an episode of The Run-Through.

Speaking with my colleague Arden Fanning Andrews and me, Malinin shared a look into his Olympic mindset: “I just think about performing my best. I try not to put unnecessary pressure on myself—I prepare like I would for any other competition.” That includes skipping caffeine, though he does treat himself to a playful pre-skate chocolate bar (Hershey’s, in case you’re curious).

Malinin also talked about what it takes to perfect his routines: practice, practice, practice. “Once you land a jump for the first time, you start to understand what you need to do to repeat it,” he explained. “You have to train that motion and muscle memory over and over.”

“Most of the time, I really like to do things that are completely outside the box—just being as unique as possible,” Malinin added, referring to his music choices (this week he skated to “Dies Irae” by Náttúra and “The Lost Crown” by 2WEI) and eye-catching bodysuits. “In the future, I’d love to design my own costumes and clothes,” he hinted. Something tells us that after the Olympics, he’ll get the chance.

Listen to Vogue’s full conversation with the “Quad God” above.

Frequently Asked Questions
Of course Here is a list of FAQs about Ilia Malinin and his journey to the 2026 Winter Olympics designed to be clear and conversational

About Ilia The Quad God Malinin

Q Who is Ilia Malinin
A Ilia Malinin is an American figure skater often called the Quad God for his incredible ability to land extremely difficult quadruple jumps including the historic first quad Axel in competition

Q Why is he called the Quad God
A He earned the nickname because he consistently lands more types of quadruple jumps than any other skater in the world pushing the technical limits of the sport

Q Has Ilia Malinin been to the Olympics before
A Yes he competed in his first Olympics at the 2022 Beijing Games finishing 9th The 2026 MilanoCortina Olympics will be his second

The Journey to the 2026 Olympics

Q What are Ilias main goals for the 2026 Olympics
A His primary goal is to win the Olympic gold medal To do that he aims to combine his unmatched technical jumps with improved artistic presentation and consistency

Q Whats the biggest challenge he faces on the road to 2026
A The main challenge is staying healthy and avoiding injury while training these highrisk jumps Another key focus is building consistent wellrounded programs that score highly in both technical and artistic components

Q How does the qualification process for the Olympics work
A Skaters earn spots for their country based on their teams performance at the World Championships the year before Then each countrys skating federation selects which skaters get those spots typically based on recent competitive results Ilia will need to perform well at the 2025 Worlds and the 2026 US National Championships

Q Who are his biggest rivals for gold in 2026
A He will likely face strong competition from skaters like Japans Shoma Uno and Yuma Kagiyama and possibly rising stars from other countries who are also pushing technical boundaries

Technical Performance Questions

Q What is a quad Axel and why is it such a big deal
A The quad Axel is a jump with 45 rotations in the air Axels take off forward