**The Allure of Figure Skating: A Story Told on Ice**
*IRVINE* — The allure of figure skating captivates millions, many of whom wouldn’t know Axel Paulsen from Ulrich Salchow. What makes the sport transcend the Olympic Games every four years is its ability to tell a story. More than any other sport, figure skating possesses a cinematic quality — complete with a soundtrack.
“That’s what makes skating unique compared to, let’s say, hockey or something that’s based on a clock,” said Shae-Lynn Bourne, former world champion ice dancer for Canada and now one of the sport’s top choreographers. “We get to express. So it’s kind of our athletic art.”
### Ilia Malinin: Figure Skating’s Current Sensation
Ilia Malinin, figure skating’s current box office sensation, first emerged earlier this decade as the sport’s next great action hero—the self-proclaimed Quad God. This teenager is not only capable of soaring through the air but doing 4 1/2 rotations before touching down.
In September 2022, at age 18, Malinin became the first person to successfully land a quadruple Axel—the sport’s most difficult jump—in competition. Two-time Olympian Johnny Weir compared the feat to the first moon landing.
“He is beyond out of this world,” said Jason Brown, a 2022 Olympian.
Malinin claimed his first World title in 2024 in Montreal by breaking 2022 Olympic champion Nathan Chen’s free skate world record. At last spring’s World Championships in Boston, he defended his title by becoming the first skater to land all six types of quadruple jumps in a free skate.
### Unmatched Technical Mastery and Emotional Depth
Russian coach Tatiana Tarasova, who has coached more Olympic and world champions than any other coach in figure skating history, told Sport24, “There’s no way to compare him to any skater from the past. Right now, he has no rivals… In the past, top athletes performed one or two quadruple jumps at best. Maybe in 15 or 20 years, someone stronger than Ilia will emerge, but in the past, there was no one like him.”
Malinin, who turned 21 last month, is the face of the sport and the marquee name at the upcoming Olympic Games in Milan and the U.S. Championships this week in St. Louis. Yet, he is determined to redefine himself just as he has forced the sport to reimagine itself.
“This year,” he said, “I really put myself on the ice as a different skater.”
While Malinin promises to make the Milano Ice Skating Arena his personal launch pad, for all of his athleticism and groundbreaking technical skills, what has been most telling in this Olympic season is the maturity of his skating and his willingness to take emotional risks in his programs.
As much as his jumps defy belief, Malinin’s great strength lies in his imagination and courage to push his skating to new, unexplored places. Especially in his free skate program, Malinin turns his focus inward, pushing the envelope of expression.
### Finding His Voice Through Autobiographical Programs
Malinin is arguably the best in the world at what he does—perhaps the best ever—but he remains a young man searching for himself and his unique voice. He has found that voice in two autobiographical programs: the short program and the free skate. Together, they trace his path to Milan and chart his journey ahead with vulnerability and honesty.
Interspersed with the music of his free skate is Malinin’s own voice. On the eve of the most important two months of his life, as the world watches him prepare to glide across Milan’s golden pond, Ilia Malinin has a story to tell.
“The only true wisdom is knowing you know nothing,” he says at one point in the free skate. At another, he exhorts: “Embrace the storm.”
“It’s like both programs have the idea of being a process of changing and becoming a better person,” Malinin said after a training session at Great Park Ice in Irvine, where he regularly works with Bourne and coach Rafael Arutyunyan.
“I’d say the short program is a bigger representation of the physical battles you face during change. The long program is more about deeper thought and psychological reflection.”
Both programs reflect the influence of Bourne and Arutyunyan, as well as Malinin’s broader perspective on skating and life.
### The Importance of Storytelling in Skating
“I really believe the story—what they’re skating about—being present and committed and having meaning in every move is what ties everything together, and that’s what lures the audience in,” said Bourne, who choreographed both programs.
“And the judges are just the audience. If you’re captivating people, you have to tell stories. It’s like going to a movie—four minutes in the long program, two minutes and 50 seconds in the short. You want to make people feel something and remember what you did on the ice. Whether it makes them quiet, clap, or involved, that connection is key.”
### “The Lost Crown”: The Short Program
The short program, titled *The Lost Crown*, is the action-packed routine fans have come to expect from Malinin.
“There’s a magical quality to the story where he possesses extra abilities to be the ultimate warrior,” Bourne explained.
“He’s like someone coming from the desert, laying low and training hard—grinding through the tough days, questioning himself. The beginning is low, mysterious, reflecting that hidden preparation.”
After this build-up, the music shifts into battle mode: a fight for survival, control, and belief.
“In the final section, it explodes into expressive rapping and grooving. It’s explosive and shows he’s the ultimate warrior—not just against others, but against himself. Your competition is your own best self, and being your best self will take you far.”
### “A Voice”: The Free Skate Program
Malinin and his team named the free skate program *A Voice*. It is exactly that: Malinin’s own words, vulnerable, contemplative, honest, and bold. His spoken voice appears throughout a blend of musical compositions.
“It felt fitting for where Ilia is in life,” Bourne said. “Just turned 21 and grappling with what life means, saying what he feels.”
Malinin recorded his voice with the help of Bourne’s husband, Bohdan Turok—a director, producer, and screenwriter—who guided him in crafting and delivering the spoken segments to ensure they resonated with the music.
“It’s very much Ilia’s voice and vision,” Bourne said.
### A Unique Perspective on Life and Skating
“I definitely see things differently now,” Malinin shared. “When I see something, I relate it to something else. I have deep thoughts about everything I do.”
When asked if this depth stemmed from maturity or life experiences, he replied: “Everything—the life experiences, maturity, and simply time being alive.”
### Preparing for Milan and the Olympic Dream
“What’s my reality now?” Malinin chuckled. “Getting ready to compete in the Olympics and going for gold.”
### A Family Legacy on Ice
Although Malinin was raised at the rink, he did not always see himself destined for Olympic glory.
Both his parents, Tatiana Malinina and Roman Skorniakov, were Olympians for Uzbekistan. Tatiana won the 1999 Grand Prix Final and Four Continents Championship. Roman was a seven-time national champion. The couple moved to the U.S. and married in 2000. Ilia was born in 2004 in Fairfax, Virginia, where his parents coached.
Malinin first skated at age 6 but his initial passion was soccer, idolizing Brazilian star Neymar. His parents did not pressure him to skate, he recalls, and his grandfather, Valery Malinin, a former Soviet skater turned coach, advised patience.
“Growing up, my parents were always at the rink,” Malinin said. “I had nowhere else to go but chilling there with other kids playing soccer. Eventually, I thought skating looked interesting and decided to give it a try.”
At age 12, Malinin committed seriously to skating. “I realized I was progressing quicker than expected,” he said. “We sat down with my parents and decided to put more effort into it.”
### Overcoming Injuries and Proving Potential
Malinin’s parents continue to coach him alongside Rafael Arutyunyan, who coached Nathan Chen to Olympic gold. Malinin won the 2016 U.S. juvenile title, the intermediate crown in 2017, and the Asian Open Trophy’s advanced novice competition in 2018. However, injuries sidelined him for the 2020 and 2021 U.S. Championships, leading to concerns about his ability to stay healthy.
“That was the concern,” Malinin admitted. “But I now have a solid training plan to prevent injuries and keep improving without breaking my body.”
### Breaking Through at the 2022 U.S. Championships
Malinin’s breakthrough came at the 2022 U.S. Championships in Nashville—the sport’s Olympic Trials—where he landed four quads in the free skate and finished second overall.
“I wasn’t expecting to skate that well or place second,” he recalled.
Despite his performance, the Olympic selection committee chose Vincent Zhou and Jason Brown along with Chen for the Beijing Games. Malinin was sent instead to the 2022 World Championships post-Olympics, where he placed ninth, and later won the World Junior Championships, setting records for short program, free skate, and total score.
### The Quad Axel: A Historic Achievement
Canada’s Kurt Browning was the first to land a quadruple jump in competition in 1988 (quad toe loop). Chen’s five quads helped him win Olympic gold in Beijing. Yet the quadruple Axel—a jump requiring 4 1/2 rotations from a forward outside edge takeoff—remained elusive.
When asked in 2018 if anyone would land a quad Axel soon, Chen responded, “Difficult to say… it probably won’t happen anytime soon.”
Three and a half years later, Malinin shocked the figure skating world at the 2022 U.S. International Classic in Lake Placid by landing the first quad Axel in competition.
“Four-point-five revolutions in the blink of an eye,” Weir said. “The craziest thing I’ve ever seen on ice,” added 2018 Olympian Adam Rippon.
### Continuously Raising the Bar
Malinin continued to impress, landing quad Axels at Skate America and becoming the youngest male to win the Grand Prix event. After winning the 2023 U.S. title and finishing third at Worlds, he made history at the 2023 Grand Prix Final by landing a quad Axel in the short program and all six types of quads in the free skate.
He shattered his own free skate world record last month at the Grand Prix Final with a score of 238.24, surpassing his prior record of 227.79 and Chen’s 224.92, landing seven clean quads along the way.
“Completing seven quads perfectly was one of my greatest accomplishments,” Malinin said. He holds the top three free skate scores ever and three of the five highest total scores over 330 points.
### Setting Himself Apart from Legends
Tarasova dismissed Russian media comparisons of Malinin to Alexei Yagudin and Evgeni Plushenko—two Olympic champions and early gold standards.
“Plushenko, Yagudin, and Malinin are entirely different,” she said. “Alexei Yagudin had a stronger emotional presence, but that’s not what matters. No one has done what Malinin can technically.”
### Looking Ahead: The Future of Malinin
Malinin hinted that his current achievements may just be a glimpse of his potential.
“I haven’t yet reached my absolute top level,” he said. “I want to keep progressing through the next three Olympic cycles.”
He added, “I’m playing it by ear, depending on how I feel and my passion for skating. Who knows? Maybe a fourth or fifth Olympics. We’ll see how long I can keep going.”
After a recent session with Bourne at Great Park Ice, he even hinted at attempting a quintuple jump, pending the results in Milan.
### A Story of Courage and Self-Discovery
Until then, Malinin focuses on the story he wants to tell: one of courage, uncertainty, struggle, and triumph. His story.
Bourne reflected on his journey: “Watching him perform the program, I got goosebumps. It felt truthful, raw, and personal. He’s diving into the unconscious, encountering darkness, and finding light within. He’s not taking the easy road.”
“There’s a lot to discover within oneself—not by shutting things out but by embracing the difficult. He’s trusting and following his own voice. You see the struggle and his message: ‘This is my path. You may not like it, or the music, but I’m speaking, and it doesn’t matter.’
“The ultimate thing is that he’s following his way and accepting whatever comes—good, bad, dark, or light—and embracing it all.”
https://www.ocregister.com/2026/01/05/winter-olympics-ilia-malinin-is-ready-to-tell-his-story/