Ilia Malinin, the 20-year-old U.S. figure skater who has wowed the world with his athleticism and will defend his world title. As defending champ he’s got a lot to consider. He could attempt an even more ambitious program with seven quadruple jumps at the world championships next week. Tatiana Malinina and Roman Skorniakov, his Russian-born parents and former Olympic athletes for Uzbekistan, trained him with military precision. Under their vision, Malinin continues to break the limits of figure skating.
Like any skater, especially one nicknamed the “Quad God,” he has to walk the line between risk and reward. Malinin pulls daily inspiration from a poster depicting last year’s world championships in Montreal. As he trains for this ultimate challenge in Boston, it challenges him to train like never before. He lost for the first time in his last ten performances spanning two seasons. This spectacular record turns him into a big favorite to clinch his second straight men's singles title at the worlds.
Assessing Risk and Reward
Malinin’s plan to try seven quads will be based on a number of things, first and foremost being how he feels by the time he gets to Boston. He’s already made clear that he’ll want to assess the ice and his own fitness before any final determination.
"I'll have to see when I get to Boston and specifically, I think I'll have to see how the ice condition is." – Ilia Malinin
Malinin’s goal of being the first skater to land seven quads in a free program fuels him. While he narrowly missed this ambition at the U.S. senior title in January, his competitive fire burns hot. In that competition, he successfully landed six of his seven attempted quadruple jumps, including the elusive quad Axel—a jump only he has executed in competition.
"When I get to the program, we'll just have to see how I'll be feeling in that moment and if it would be worth it to go for that risk or to maybe play it safe." – Ilia Malinin
Navigating Pressure and Expectations
Though exciting, competing at home adds pressure for Malinin, particularly as a pre-Olympic year raises the bar of expectation. He understands the difficulty of having a target on his back and being the player to beat. Even so, he remains concentrated on bringing his A-game.
"Being at home and, you know, a huge crowd behind me and being the reigning world champion, it's going to be a lot of pressure to handle. But I’m really looking forward to giving it my all and really just trying to handle that pressure." – Ilia Malinin
Yuma Kagiyama, a major medal hopeful this season, is aware that there’s a chasm between him and Malinin but wants to make that gap smaller.
"After the worlds last year, I felt there was a considerable gap with Ilia and this season has been important in trying to close that gap," – Yuma Kagiyama
Coaching Legacy and Motivation
Malinin's success is deeply rooted in his family's legacy. His coaches, Tatiana Malinina and Roman Skorniakov, infuse their own knowledge from being Olympians into his training regimen. Their guidance never stops pushing him to greater heights in his career. That poster from last year’s championships serves as a constant reminder of Reggie’s recent success and prior accolades. It’s what continues to stoke his fire to be successful this fall and beyond.
That mix of unwavering family support and personal passion fuels the bedrock of Malinin’s inspirational drive for greatness. He was preparing to compete in the world championships. Though fierce and uncompromising, he is driven by a genuine passion to expand the boundaries of what’s possible in figure skating.
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