Ilia Malinin, widely considered the best figure skater of this generation, is one performance away from Olympic gold as the 21-year-old American takes the ice tonight for the men’s free skate at the Milan Cortina Olympics. The skater known as the “Quad God” holds a commanding 5-point lead over Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama and France’s Adam Siao Him Fa after Tuesday’s short program, positioning himself for what could be a historic victory. Malinin has been undefeated for over two years, a remarkable streak of 14 consecutive victories that includes the past four U.S. championships, the last two world titles, and a host of world records. His most impressive achievement? Landing the first-ever quad axel in competition and setting a record free skate score of 238.04 points that helped him win by nearly 30 points at the Grand Prix Final in December.
While the 5-point margin would be significant for any skater, it could prove insurmountable given who’s in first place. Malinin’s free skate includes seven scheduled quadruple jumps, compared to four for his closest competitors, giving him a massive technical advantage. The Virginia native already secured one gold medal in the team event, where he finished second in the short program but defeated Japanese star Shun Sato in the free skate to help Team USA defend their title. Despite admitting the Olympic pressure got to him initially during the team competition, Malinin found his confidence again in the individual short program Tuesday night. Tonight’s performance offers him the chance to cement his legacy as one of the greatest figure skaters ever while potentially landing the first quad axel in Olympic history—a jump no one else has ever completed in competition.
