Vienna-based figure skater “Quad God” Ilia Malinin will head to next month’s Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, U.S. Figure Skating announced Sunday. The news comes after Malinin spun more gold on Saturday night at the 2026 Prevagen U.S. Figure Skating Championships in St. Louis, Missouri.
The victory marks Malinin’s fourth consecutive U.S. championship title. There was a lot of air between him and his most ambitious colleagues. Before the competition, Malinin said that he would protect his strong standings by taking fewer risks. Even being more cautious than usual, notably during the event’s free skate, Malinin’s total score of 324.88 was still an astonishing 57 points higher than silver medalist Andrew Torgashev’s 267.62. Maxim Naumov took bronze with 249.16.
This latest win comes on the heels of Malinin’s historic 7-quad free-skate program on December 6 at the International Skating Union (ISU) 2025 Grand Prix Final in Nagoya, Japan.
Stepping Onto the World Stage
Collecting gold hardware has become the consistent norm for Malinin, still the only skater in the world to successfully land figure skating’s most challenging jump, the quad Axel, in competition. The 21-year-old Marshall High School graduate is also the two-time and reigning world champion.
Northern Virginia has watched Malinin transform from a teen and local figure skating sensation to a confident athlete of international fame who is garnering attention and partnerships from the likes of Coca-Cola and other brand giants. Malinin trains under the guidance of his father, Roman Skorniakov, and his mother, Tatiana Malinina, both former Olympic skaters.
“It’s such an amazing feeling,” Malinin said. “I worked so hard, especially after those 2022 nationals. It has such a huge meaning for me, being able to go there and follow in my parents’ footsteps being two-time Olympians. It’s such an honor and I’m so excited for that experience.”
Haymarket Skater Takes Alternate Spot
Malinin is one of 16 skaters on the U.S. Figure Skating Team for the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026.
Sarah Everhardt, a 19-year-old skater from Haymarket, was named as the second alternate for the women’s team. Everhardt trains at Reston’s SkateQuest rink, and is coached by Malinin’s parents as well. Everhardt graduated from Battlefield High School in 2025. She was accepted to American University in Washington, DC, and planned to enroll in classes for the spring semester, reported InsideNova.com.
The team was announced live during Making Team USA on January 11 at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis.
Feature image of Ilia Malinin at ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final 2025 in December 2025. (Xinhua/Yue Chenxing via Alamy)
