Ilia Malinin, the rising star of U.S. figure skating's scene, concludes an outstanding year with aspirations for Olympic success.

As he concluded his free skate on Saturday, Ilia Malinin lay down on the ice, eyes shut, absorbing the moment. The athlete dubbed the “Quad God” had just executed an impressive string of quadruple jumps — including the quad axel, a feat unmatched by anyone else — and even a backflip, all in his signature […]

As he concluded his free skate on Saturday, Ilia Malinin lay down on the ice, eyes shut, absorbing the moment. The athlete dubbed the “Quad God” had just executed an impressive string of quadruple jumps — including the quad axel, a feat unmatched by anyone else — and even a backflip, all in his signature breathtaking fashion.

The performance included a fall and a few other mistakes, yet it made little difference. Malinin, the promising American who celebrated his 20th birthday on Monday, decisively outperformed Japanese competitor Yuma Kagiyama to clinch the men’s singles title at the Grand Prix Final, completing an unbeaten 2024 season and further solidifying his rising star status.

Perhaps the sole aspect not favoring Malinin is that the Olympics are just 14 months away instead of two.

Since the 2022 Beijing Olympics, Malinin has emerged as a dominant force in men’s figure skating, with his victory on Saturday marking a flawless calendar year that included a gold medal at the World Championship, establishing him as the undisputed No. 1 in the sport just slightly over a year before the 2026 Olympics in Milan.

Malinin dazzled with an impressive short program on Friday, opening nearly a 12-point lead over Kagiyama, last year’s world silver medalist behind him. In Saturday’s free skate, Malinin delivered a series of quadruples — the axel, lutz, salchow, toe loop, loop, and flip — followed by a crowd-pleasing backflip towards the end to secure yet another prestigious title. He wrapped up with a total score of 292.12, surpassing Kagiyama’s score of 281.78. Shun Sato from Japan finished third with a score of 270.82.

“I had this vision and this target that I aimed to accomplish here, and I managed to exceed it,” Malinin stated in the arena following his victory.

A familiar sound for Ilia Malinin. 🇺🇸

He stands on the top of the podium after successfully defending his #GPFigure title. 🥇 pic.twitter.com/QkhbfrWP8f

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) December 7, 2024

The Grand Prix Final concludes the annual Grand Prix series in figure skating, featuring only the top six skaters or pairs in each discipline. It stands as one of the most distinguished global titles in the sport, following the Olympics and the World Championships.

This win rounded off an exceptional weekend in Grenoble, France, for the U.S., achieving three titles. Earlier on Saturday, Amber Glenn claimed victory in the women’s event, while Madison Chock and Evan Bates — the two-time reigning world champions — triumphed in ice dance for a consecutive year. The Americans also secured a gold and two silver medals in the junior category.

Originating from Virginia, Malinin was raised by parents Roman Skorniakov and Tatiana Malinina, both former Olympic figure skaters of Russian and Uzbekistani descent. They moved to the U.S. and now reside in Vienna, Va., where Malinin learned skating at the site where his parents coach. He is a student at George Mason University.

If not for a choice made in 2022 that kept him off the U.S. Olympic team in Beijing, Malinin might already be a recognized name among casual Olympics enthusiasts.

Ilia Malinin from America, who just turned 20, has reached the pinnacle of men’s figure skating and enters 2025 as the definitive No. 1 in the sport. (Laurent Cipriani / AP)

At that year’s U.S. Championships, a month ahead of the Olympics, Malinin — having just celebrated his 18th birthday — surprisingly placed second to Nathan Chen, making a strong argument for inclusion in the Olympic team. However, the selection committee — under no obligation to base their choice solely on results — decided instead to prioritize experience, selecting former Olympians Vincent Zhou and Jason Brown, who finished third and fourth respectively at nationals, to accompany Chen to Beijing, leaving Malinin as the first alternate.

This decision ultimately benefited the U.S. — the team took home gold after Russian skater Kamila Valieva was disqualified and her score was dismissed — but it meant Malinin had to delay his Olympic debut.

Since then, he has soared to the summit of the skating world. Post-Olympics, Malinin participated in the 2022 World Championships, finishing in ninth place. He then competed in the World Junior Championships, where he captured gold, marking his first major success.

Following that, he transitioned to competing on the senior circuit full-time. The 2022-23 season saw him win gold at the U.S. Championships and bronze at both the worlds and the Grand Prix Final, as well as successfully completing his first quad axel. Fast forward to 2024, he has remained undefeated — claiming gold in the World Championships, Grand Prix Final, and U.S. Championships.

Before his meteoric rise, Malinin gained notoriety for an unparalleled achievement. Until September 15, 2022, no figure skater had ever landed a fully rotated quadruple axel — a jump consisting of four full rotations in the air, regarded as the most challenging in the sport, starting forward-facing and requiring an additional half rotation to complete.

This record was shattered when Malinin executed the jump during a competition in Lake Placid, N.Y.

History. Made.🤯

17-year-old Ilia Malinin 🇺🇸 becomes the first figure skater to land a quadruple Axel in competition.

Full story ➡️ https://t.co/cIHBkGIZFH #FigureSkating pic.twitter.com/jysyCrF0lr

— The Olympic Games (@Olympics) September 15, 2022

Since then, he has executed the maneuver multiple times and has adopted the moniker “Quadg0d” on Instagram in homage to this feat. In interviews, he has mentioned considering attempting a quintuple version of the jump.

While the quad axel is his hallmark, it hardly limits his repertoire. Malinin’s athletic routines have garnered impressive scores — including a world-record free skate at this year’s World Championships. He quickly resumed performing a backflip in competition in October following the lifting of a ban on the move — which had been in place since 1977 — earlier this year.

Can we talk about Ilia Malinin casually doing a backflip in his program real quick? 🫨 #SkateAmerica pic.twitter.com/vcafwJn2yZ

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) October 21, 2024

Concluding 2024, Malinin achieved seven victories in as many competitions. He has not placed outside the top three since the 2022 World Championships he attended after missing the Beijing event. The next major competition will take place in his hometown, with the 2025 World Championships set for Boston from March 23 to 30.

With another year of competition remaining until the Winter Olympics kick off in Milan in February 2026, there’s still time for another strong contender like Kagiyama or France’s Adam Siao Him Fa — the bronze medalist from last year’s worlds who did not compete at this Grand Prix Final due to an injury — to take aim at Malinin. Nevertheless, the American stands poised to enter 2025 as the undeniable No. 1 in figure skating.