Ilia Malinin, the self-proclaimed "Quad God," made history last season when he successfully landed figure skating's first-ever quadruple Axel in competition.
Now that he has that milestone in the rear-view mirror, Fan Zone asked: Was labeling himself with the moniker, complete with an
Instagram handle and hats embroidered with the name, inviting any additional pressure to be the first to complete the jump successfully?
"Sometimes I feel a little bit of pressure, but I think it's another learning experience to handle the pressure and try to work with it instead of working against it, if that makes sense," he said during a recent interview. "Use it to my advantage to say, 'Oh, there's a lot of people watching; I have to make sure this is good so it looks effortless.'"
After making history with the quad Axel at the 2022 U.S. International Figure Skating Classic, Malinin said his best quad Axel of the season was from Skate America, where his Grade of Execution peaked at 4.11 on top of the base value of the element at 12.50. But Malinin admitted that he didn't know it would be a good one while he was in the air.
"It was very unexpected for me to land it at Skate America because I felt really weird in the air," he recalled. "I thought I was not going to land it, but I was lucky to stay on my feet and I pulled it off pretty well."
It's the perfectionist mentality in Malinin that made him think it might not work out.
"I'm always trying to make sure that everything is as perfect as it can be," he said. "If I feel like a little bit is off, then I'm like, 'Oh it's off.' It's just my personality, I guess."
Chalk it up to an inherited trait from his mother (slash Olympian, slash coach), Tatiana Malinina, he said.
"I got it from her," he said. "I've learned to deal with it. It helps me to try to motivate myself and push myself in a way where I don't overdo myself but at the same time, know how much I can take to get some improvement."
He ultimately
won Skate America in a come-from-behind victory, becoming the youngest man to ever clinch gold in the history of the event. A few weeks later, he
won Grand Prix Espoo in Finland, though his quad Axel was called for landing on the quarter. The win qualified him for his first senior-level ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final, where he earned a 3.04 GOE on his quad Axel and
earned a bronze medal.
Malinin
won the 2023 Toyota U.S. Figure Skating Championships in January to tee up a blockbuster matchup at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2023 in Saitama, Japan. After the short program,
Malinin trailed hometown favorite Shoma Uno by about four points. There wasn't a lot of discussion with his parents between the programs, from what he remembers.
"They try to leave all the talking to when we get to the rink," he said, noting that he was either in his room or "in his own zone" between the programs. "It was a lot easier for me, after the short program, to go rest and think about how to prepare for the long."
After a third-place free skate,
Malinin stayed on the World Championships podium with a bronze medal and a lesson learned about confidence.Â
"My goal was to get a medal at Worlds and I was able to achieve that, so I was pretty happy about it," he said. "I was able to have a good score in the short and it helped me be a lot more confident for short programs in the future. Learning from that experience it's always good to plan ahead and make sure you're 100% prepared for the competition."
Shae-Lynn Bourne choreographed Malinin's short program for the 2022 season, which was an adjustment for Malinin, he said.
"It took a bit of time to get used to the program, but I think that those last three competitions really helped me figure out how to get used to her style," he said.
He wrapped up his season at World Team Trophy, where he helped
Team USA secure a fifth title.
"That experience was so fun because it was different from other competitions," he said. "You really had to think about not only yourself but also as a team … It was a fun experience for me and I really hope to have a lot more of those in the future."
Malinin is keeping next year's programs close to the vest, but he did reveal he worked with Bourne again. This season, she choreographed both of Malinin's programs.
"They're pretty out of my range, both of them," he said. "I feel like people wouldn't expect me to skate to this type of music or this way, the way the program is built. I think it's very different from what I've done. I think it possibly might be different from what other people have done as well."
He wouldn't commit to sharing the planned technical content for each program, but did stress the importance of staying healthy the next few seasons in the lead-up to the Olympics in 2026.
"If you're in good shape, it will be easier to try to skate your best," he said. "Health of course is my main concern. Trying to stay consistent, stay clean, and keep it as consistent as possible throughout these three years, you could say. I think those are the main goals."
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