Every sport has a feat most consider nearly impossible. Whether it’s a point total, a record that has lasted for years or a rare stat, seemingly impossible sports feats can take many forms.
In figure skating, it was long considered impossible to land a quadruple axel. The move requires a skater to take off forward and complete 4.5 rotations before landing back on the ice.
Turns out, that wasn’t the case.
American figure skater Ilia Malinin made history in 2022 by becoming the first person to land a quadruple axel in international competition. Malinin continued his dominance by adding the quad axel to his regular routine in both the long and short programs. His sustained success pulling off the move earned him one of the coolest nicknames in sports.
Here’s more on Malinin’s “Quad God” nickname.
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Ilia Malinin nickname
Malinin made figure skating history by hitting the first-ever quadruple axel in an international competition, and he didn’t stop with one. He continues to hit the once-impossible move with regularity. Given that he has accomplished something that many thought was impossible, and now does it with such ease, Malinin has been given one of the coolest nicknames of all time.
“Quad God.”
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Ilia Malinin quadruple axels
Malinin first hit the quadruple axel in competition in 2022. The move was once considered to be impossible in figure skating, and now the prodigy is hitting them regularly in competitions.
Malinin’s first quad axel in skating Grand Prix history
Malinin lands seven quadruple jumps in comeback victory
Malinin becomes the first person to land a quadruple jump in a short program
One of Malinin’s quad axels from 2025
What is a quadruple axel in figure skating?
A quadruple axel is considered the most difficult move in figure skating. It forces the skater to have a forward takeoff and then complete 4.5 rotations before landing again. While the triple axel was considered a very difficult skating move, the quadruple axel was long considered to be impossible until Malinin.
He landed the first-ever quadruple axel in 2022 and has since become one of the few figure skaters to consistently land it, earning him the nickname “quad god.” Malinin landed the move for the first time at the 2022 CS U.S. International Classic.
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Where is Ilia Malinin from?
Malinin was born in Fairfax, Virginia on December 2, 2024. He stayed local to Virginia growing up and attended George C. Marshall High School in Falls Church, VA. Malinin is currently attending George Mason University in Fairfax County, VA.
Ilia Malinin parents
Malinin isn’t the only figure skater in his family. His mother is Tatiana Malinina, and she competed in figure skating for Uzbekistan and was the 1999 Grant Prix of Figure Skating Final champion. She also won the 1999 Four Continents championship, and is a ten-time Uzbek national champion.
Malinin’s father, Roman Skorniakov is also a figure skater. He competed for Uzbekistan and is a seven-time Uzbek national champion, but didn’t achieve the global success that Malinina did.
Malinin’s younger sister is also a competitive figure skater, and his maternal grandfather was a former skating competitor for the Soviet Union and is a skating coach in Russia now.
