Ilia Malinin, commonly known as the ‘Quad God’, delivered another headline performance at the 2026 Winter Olympics for men’s figure skating in Milan’s Cortina.
Malinin helped Team USA capture gold in the team event after landing a historic backflip, a move banned since 1976 due to safety concerns.
The last American to legally complete the skill at the Olympics was Terry Kubicka. The International Skating Union lifted the ban on somersault-like jumps in June 2024.
“Somersault-like jumps are very spectacular and nowadays it is no longer logical to consider them as illegal movements,” said an agenda of an ISU meeting at the time.
Malinin now turns his focus to the men’s free skate on Friday, where he comes in as the favorite for the gold medal.
He could attempt the first quadruple axel ever landed at the Olympics, considered the most difficult jump in figure skating.
“I hope I feel good enough to do it (Friday),” he told reporters, according to Fox News.
“But of course I always prioritize health and safety, so I really want to put myself in the right mindset so that I can really feel confident going into it and not look at that as something that I’m going to risk.”
Although the backflip isn’t set in stone, Malinin has previously spoken about enjoying the move: “It gets applause from the audience, it feels really exciting and I really enjoy doing it,” he said.
