"Quad God" Ilia Malinin Is The Winter Olympics' Breakout Star

The Run-Through with Vogue · Feb 11, 2026 · 38m

If the 2026 Olympics has a breakout star from the winter games, America’s own Ilia Malinin would certainly be among them. The 21-year-old figure skater—who has earned the nickname “Quad God,” for being the only athlete to ever land a quadruple axel during competition—has been having quite the week to celebrate: On Sunday, Malinin helped Team USA secure a gold medal on Sunday, while he also earned earned the top spot in the men's singles short program last night.

Malinin—who has been a rising star in the skating world, and started hitting the ice around six-years-old—is the prodigy child of…