Who is Ilia Malinin? 'Quad God' might already be one of the greatest figure skaters of all time

Ilia Malinin was fixed his "Quad God" nickname erstwhile helium was conscionable a child, and helium has lived up to the billing.

The 21-year-old earned his archetypal Olympic golden medal connected Sunday arsenic portion of the mixed squad event, and present helium is the dense favourite to get immoderate idiosyncratic hardware.

Malinin dominated his tally successful the abbreviated programme connected Tuesday astatine the Milan Cortina Games, positioning himself rather favorably for the medal event.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM 

Ilia Malinin competes during the fig skating men's squad lawsuit astatine the Winter Olympics, successful Milan, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

And this is conscionable the opening for idiosyncratic who whitethorn 1 time beryllium connected the Mount Rushmore of fig skating erstwhile it's each said and done — if he's not already.

Figure skating is successful Malinin's blood, arsenic some of his parents competed successful the Olympics and person awesome resumes themselves. Combined, his parents person 17 nationalist championships successful Uzbekistan.

Malinin was a prodigy, winning the 2016 U.S. nationalist juvenile title and the 2017 intermediate nationalist championship. Malinin continued to predominate arsenic a junior, winning golden astatine the World Junior Championships successful 2022 successful the escaped skate with a caller inferior satellite grounds of 88.99, winning by astir 42 points.

Despite his dominance, Malinin, conscionable 17 astatine the time, was near disconnected the Olympic roster successful favour of veterans, which possibly lit a occurrence nether him.

Ilia Malinin competes during the men's fig skating abbreviated programme astatine the Winter Olympics, successful Milan, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

OLYMPIC MEDALIST VOLUNTARILY ADMITS TO CHEATING ON 'GOLD MEDAL' GIRLFRIEND OF 6 MONTHS IN EMOTIONAL INTERVIEW

Since then, helium has won singles golden successful the past 2 World Championships, 3 Grand Prix Finals and 4 U.S. Championships, already cementing himself arsenic 1 of the top fig skaters of each clip earlier adjacent heading to Italy. In December, helium acceptable the satellite grounds for the champion escaped skate people with 238.24.

And nary 1 has truly travel adjacent to beating him. In past year's satellite championships, Malinin's borderline of triumph was larger than the constituent differential betwixt the metallic medalist and the ninth-place finisher.

Malinin scored a 108.16 connected Tuesday, capable to enactment up of Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama, who scored a 103.07, and France’s Adam Siao Him Fa, who scored a 102.55.

Ilia Malinin lands a instrumentality during the men's fig skating abbreviated programme astatine the Winter Olympics, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

At this point, it would beryllium a stunning upset if anyone but the "Quad God" won golden aboriginal this week — helium wasn’t fixed the nickname by accident. And astatine conscionable 21 years old, a existent dynasty mightiness beryllium connected the rise.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports sum connected X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.