The landscape of figure skating shifted irrevocably in 2022. That was the year Ilia Malinin became the first and only athlete to land a quadruple axel in competition history.
It is not just about height. It is about physics and madness.
The axel is widely considered the most difficult jump in the sport. Why? Because it is the only one entered forward. You take off while moving ahead, then spin backward in mid-air. To clear it, Malinin had to complete four and a half revolutions before touching down. Most skaters struggle with triple axels. Malinin turned it into a routine element.
His dominance has only compounded since that historic moment.
By 2025, he had added another first to his resume. He became the first figure skater to cleanly land seven quadruple jumps in a single competition. The sheer volume of difficulty is staggering.
This skill set has translated to a trophy case that few will ever touch.
Malinin has secured four U.S. Figure Skating Championships titles. He also captured two World Figure Skating Championships. But the pinnacle arrived in 2026.
At the Milano Cortina Olympics, Malinin helped the United States secure a gold medal in the team event. He didn’t just participate. He anchored the victory with technical precision that redefined what is possible in ice sports.
