Skater Ilia Malinin Joins Parents as Olympic Athlete

Ilia Malinin spun to a stop on the ice in St. Louis, his fourth consecutive national title secured and his Olympic dream now official. The 21-year-old figure skating phenom will head to Milan in 2026, joining an exclusive family club where all three members have competed at the Winter Games.

His mother, Tatiana Malinina, competed at two Olympics for Uzbekistan, finishing eighth in 1998 alongside skating legends Tara Lipinski and Michelle Kwan. His father, Roman Skorniakov, also represented Uzbekistan at the same two Winter Games in 1998 and 2002.

The couple met through skating, married in 2000, and moved to Northern Virginia to coach. When their son was born in December 2004, they gave him the Russian masculine form of his mother's last name because Skorniakov was too difficult for Americans to pronounce.

Now that name, Malinin, has become synonymous with excellence in American figure skating. He won Saturday night's competition by more than 50 points, finishing with 324.88 points despite holding back on his signature moves.

The skater known as the "Quad God" landed just three quadruple jumps instead of his usual seven because of new skates he's breaking in. With no close challengers at nationals, he played it safe and still dominated the field.

"I decided to take it a little more safe," Malinin said afterward. "I was a little unsure what I was going to do so I decided not to go for any risks."

Why This Inspires

The Milan Olympics will mark the fifth Winter Games for the Malinin family across three decades. While his parents never made the podium, they built something more lasting: a champion who carries their legacy forward while creating his own.

His mother competed at 10 consecutive world championships and finished fourth at worlds in 1999. Now their son is predicted to win gold in Milan, the culmination of a family journey that started on ice rinks in Uzbekistan and continues under the brightest spotlight in sports.

The newest Olympic athlete is ready to make his family proud on the world's biggest stage.