How Ilia Malinin Revolutionized Figure Skating with His Quadruple Axel

Ilia Malinin was born to skate. The child of two Olympic skaters—Tatiana Malinina and Roman Skorniakov, who both competed for Uzbekistan—he first hit the ice at six years old. In the years since, he’s skyrocketed to fame in the skating world, dubbing himself the “Quad God” for his ability to do multiple quadruple jumps with ease in a single program.

This week, Malinin lead the US figure skating squad to gold in the team event at the 2026 Winter Olympics. During that competition, his performance was notable for two reasons. One, he ended his short program with an astounding backflip. Two, he didn’t even have to pull out his signature quad axel to get a tidy 108.16 score.

The backflip wasn’t just notable because it looked cool as hell on the ice. It was notable because he was the first figure skater to legally land a backflip at the Olympics. The International Skating Union banned the backflip in the late 1970s, calling it too dangerous. The ban wasn’t lifted until 2024, and shortly thereafter Malinin did one in competition.

But he wasn’t the first. Terry Kubicka’s backflip at the 1976 Olympics inspired the ban. French skater Surya Bonaly landed one in 1998 at the Nagano Games. She knew the move would cost her points, but Bonaly did it anyway. As she told The Root in 2014, she “wanted to leave a trademark.”

Following Malinin’s performance on Sunday, several observers pointed out that he was being praised for something Bonaly, a Black woman, was punished for 28 years ago. In a sport that has traditionally lacked diversity, it seemed like a slight. When contacted by the Associated Press following Malinin’s performance, Bonaly said she was happy to see the move in an Olympic competition.

“I broke ice for other skaters,” Bonaly said. “Now everything is different. People welcome anyone as long as they are good and that is what life is about.”

As for the Quad God’s signature move, the fact that he didn’t do a quadruple axel in the team event has left many wondering if he’s saving it for the men’s free skating competition on Friday, which will be his final performance of the Games.

It seems highly likely. Malinin is still the only skater to ever pull of the incredibly difficult jump in competition. Moreover, he’s a showman. It would befit him to perform his best trick during his last turn on the ice. The move, which requires the skater to begin the jump while moving forward, involves four and half rotations in the air. The incredible height and rapid spins needed to complete the quad axel impress both audiences and judges. Saving that move for the grand finale is just good strategy.

And maybe Malinin will throw in a couple backflips too.