Ilia Malinin, the skater widely known as the “Quad God,” has delivered gold for the US in the Winter Olympics. The men’s free skate in the figure skating team event ultimately became a head-to-head duel between Malinin and Japan’s Shun Sato. The stakes were clear: whichever skater posted the higher score would secure gold for their country. Malinin embraced the pressure and closed it out.
Ilia Malinin vs Shun Sato
Despite slipping once during his routine, Malinin posted a score of 200.03, putting the United States ahead with only Sato left to skate.
Sato delivered a cleaner performance, but with fewer technical risks. His score of 194.86 was not enough to overtake the American total, sealing the gold medal for the U.S.
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The final standings reflected just how tight the contest was:
United States: 69 points (Gold)
Japan: 68 points (Silver)
Italy: Bronze
Sunday’s victory marked the second consecutive Olympic gold for the United States in the figure skating team event.
What Ilia Malinin Said About Winning Winter Olympics Gold For US
Malinin acknowledged the pressure of the moment after the competition, especially given the context surrounding the medal ceremony. The US team finally received the Olympic recognition it had been denied after the Beijing Games, where Russian doping violations delayed medal awards for more than two years.
“I was like, ‘OK, I’m the deciding factor,’” Ilia Malinin said. “‘I need to just, you know, do what I need to do.’”
The two-time and reigning world champion extended his remarkable unbeaten streak, now 14 consecutive full competitions spanning more than two years.
In the free skate, Malinin landed five quadruple jumps, compared to three by Sato.
He opened with a powerful quad flip, chose a safer triple axel instead of attempting the quad, and recovered from a couple of errors to finish strong.
Who Is Ilia Malinin?
At just 21 years old, Ilia Malinin has already reshaped men’s figure skating.
He became the first skater to land a quadruple axel in competition and later made history again at the 2025
Grand Prix Final, where he became the first athlete to land seven quadruple jumps in a single program.
Born on December 2, 2004, in Fairfax, Virginia, Malinin comes from a skating lineage. His parents, Tatiana
Ilia Malinina and Roman Skorniakov, are both Olympic skaters. He also has a younger sister, Liza, who competes in figure skating.
Interestingly, his parents initially hoped he would not pursue the sport competitively. They waited until he was six before allowing him onto the ice, and even then, it was meant to be “just for fun.”
Focused on the Ice, Not Romance
As Ilia Malinin headed into the Olympics, he made it clear that his priorities remain firmly rooted in his career.
In a recent interview with People, he said he is focused on training rather than dating.
“I know how nerve-racking the Olympics can be, but I’m really excited,” he said.
“I want to put my priorities into my career first and just see where that takes me.”
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
