Ilia Malinin: The 20-year-old American figure skater redefining the sport

ST. LOUIS — The best figure skater of his generation may just go down as the best of any generation. He's capable of landing jumps nobody else can, with creativity that is nearly unmatched and plenty of artistry to go with all of his otherworldly execution.

All that Ilia Malinin must do now is deliver on the Olympic stage.

The 20-year-old American phenom has waited four long years for the Milan Cortina Games, after he was controversially left off the U.S. team for the Beijing Olympics. It was primarily due to his age and inexperience — it certainly wasn't due to his ability, which had already put him in rarified air — and it fueled Malinin during the past quadrennial to become the best in the world.

Malinin has won the past two world titles, the latest last year in Boston with relative ease. He hasn't lost a competition in about two years, whether it be lower-level tune-ups, elite-level Grand Prix events or the national championships, where Malinin triumphed for the fourth consecutive time in St. Louis earlier this month.

The scores that he has posted along the way rival the best in history, including the standard set by his countryman, Nathan Chen.

''Ilia is a whole different, like, factor,'' says his U.S. teammate, Amber Glenn. ''I mean, he's the son of two incredible figure skaters, and he's just built, quite literally, different. And like, it's insane. He's both talented and hard working, and it's amazing what he does.''

A family affair

Malinin's genes go deeper, though. His grandfather, Valery Malinin, competed for the Soviet Union and still coaches in Russia.

So it was never really a question whether he would go into the family business.

Malinin would tag along to the rink with his parents as a kid, though back then he preferred soccer to skating. But once he began to hit those big jumps that have become his hallmark, Malinin was committed. His parents coached him to the junior world title in 2022 after he had missed out on the Winter Games.

With Hall of Fame coach Rafael Arutyunyan soon joining his team, Malinin won his first senior U.S. title, then began winning on the Grand Prix stage. The gold medals soon began to pile up in the most elite competitions in figure skating.

''Ilia challenges himself constantly,'' explains Arutyunyan, who coached Chen to gold at the Beijing Games. ''Our biggest challenge is keeping the team of people who work with him on the same page. We're all there for him when he needs his team most.''

As the Milan Cortina Games draw nearer, the pressure is mounting, on the ice and off. Malinin has a number of corporate sponsors, and that comes with a certain amount of weight. His face is omnipresent in NBC spots leading up to its broadcast of the Olympics. And he is accosted by fans for photos and autographs just about everywhere he goes.

''With my team, we've been planning a strategic plan to prepare myself mentally and physically, so when I get to the Olympics, that's when I'm at my peak,'' Malinin told The Associated Press in a wide-ranging interview. ''We've talked for months, and managing what I train and how I train specifically, and what I'm going to do at all the competitions leading up to the Olympics.''

In a class of his own

Malinin began his season by capturing the Lombardia Trophy, then he dominated the Grand Prix de France and Skate Canada, where his score of 333.81 was nearly 80 points better than second-place Aleksandr Selevko of Estonia.

In fact, his personal-best score nearly broke the world record of 335.30 points, set by Chen in 2019 at the Grand Prix Final.

Malinin won that won easily, despite a dialed-back free skate as he sorted out some issues with a new set of skates.

''He has such a passionate fire for skating,'' says his choreographer, Shae-Lynn Bourne. ''He's one of those that have skates on an hour before we work and an hour after we work. He just puts the time in, and he's constantly — not just loves to skate, but he's not someone who will ever coast, or just go on what he knows he can do. He constantly wants to be challenged.''

That's why Malinin pushed himself to land the quad axel, a 4 1/2-rotation jump nobody else has landed in competition. And it was the impetus behind his signature ''raspberry twist,'' and a myriad other spins, leaps and moves that seem to defy gravity and logic.

''It's been amazing to see him, not only how he deals with the pressure but how he's really matured as a person,'' says Jason Brown, a two-time Olympian. ''We're behind him every step of the way. Everyone feels that way.''

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