Who is Ilia Malinin? Everything about the American who delivered a historic performance to win his first world title at the World Championships

Ilia Malinin is a 19-year-old American figure skater who recorded the highest-ever score in free skate discipline at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2024 to win his maiden title.

Malinin was placed third in the overall standings before producing a record-breaking performance. Earlier he had told reporters that he was suffering from physical and mental challenges ahead of the World Figure Skating Championships.

However, he didn't flinch for a second on March 24 while landing an exceptional quadruple axle. Malinin needed that kind of performance to win his maiden title and he delivered it with HBO's hit series ‘Succession’ playing in the background.

His breathtaking performance earned him a score of 227.79 points to clinch the maiden World Figure Skating gold medal. Speaking with ISU media after the victory, Malinin expressed (via ISU):

"It means so much to me. The last few weeks were such a mental and physical challenge to go through. I was even debating whether I should come here or not. It was the last minute, but I wanted to come here to see what I can put out on the ice. I am so glad to be here on top right now".

Ilia Malinin’s family and hometown

The 2024 World Champion was born on December 2, 2004, in Virginia to parents Tatiana Malinina and Roman Skorniakov. Both of his parents are Russian-born Olympic Uzbekistani singles skaters and his mother Tatiana is a Four Continents champion as well. The 19-year-old has one sister.

When did Ilia Malinin take up figure skating?

Malinin started figure skating at the age of six in 2010 and was guided by his parents. Although he was initially interested in playing soccer, Malinin gradually got interested in free skating, and similar things were predicted by his grandfather as well.

Ilia Malinin's education

Ilia Malinin went to George C. Marshall High School and graduated in 2023. The 19-year-old’s favorite subject was physics.

Ilia Malinin's achievements and records

ISU World Figure Skating Championships - Montreal

While Malinin won his maiden World Championship in 2024, he secured the 2023-24 Grand Prix Championship in December last year. He was a bronze medalist in the 2023 World Championship and the 2023-23 Grand Prix Championship.

Malinin has a total of four gold medals in the Grand Prix competition and has won the ISU Challenger series twice. He is also the 2023 and 2024 US National Champion in free skating.

The 19-year-old entered the Guinness World Records after becoming the only first skater in history to land a fully rotated quadruple Axel. The routine is regarded as one of the hardest jumps in figure skating and was first achieved by Malinin at the 2023 U. S International Classic.