Ilia Malinin is preparing to tackle one of the most challenging ice skating maneuvers at the Winter Olympics this Friday (February 13).
The Team USA athlete has already left his mark at the Milano Cortina Winter Games by executing the first legal backflip on Olympic ice in five decades.
Backflips were prohibited in 1976 after American skater Terry Kubicka executed the daring move at the Innsbruck Winter Games.
This ban persisted for many years, although French skater Surya Bonaly famously performed an illegal backflip during the 1998 Nagano Olympics, which resulted in a deduction.
In 2024, the longstanding ban was finally revoked.
Now, Ilia aims for another groundbreaking achievement during the men’s free skate on Friday.
The 21-year-old is ready to attempt a quad axel—a figure skating jump requiring the skater to complete four and a half rotations in the air before landing.
“I’m hoping that I’ll feel good enough to do it [on Friday],” he shared with reporters, via Fox News, earlier this week.
“But, of course, I always prioritize health and safety, so I really want to put myself in the right mindset where I’ll feel really confident to go into it and not have that as something that I’m going to risk.”
During Thursday’s practice, Ilia successfully landed the move, which you can witness below.
The men’s free skate is scheduled between 1pm and 5:10 pm ET.
Ilia Malinin's 4A at the practice of the 2026 Olympic Winter Games today.pic.twitter.com/YsB58t0fMM
— Ilia Malinin Daily (@TheIliaSociety) February 12, 2026
Ilia is the first and only skater to successfully land the quad axel in competition, earning him the nickname ‘Quad God.’
He first accomplished this complex rotation in September 2022 at the CS US International Figure Skating Classic when he was just 18 years old.
Ilia has successfully executed it multiple times since then, including at the 2025 Grand Prix Final.
Other athletes have attempted the quad axel, including Japanese skater Yuzuru Hanyu at the 2021 Japanese Championships.
As reported by Forbes, the double Olympic champion was unable to complete it, under-rotating and landing on two feet.
Hanyu made another attempt during the 2022 Olympic Games, but was unsuccessful once more. He retired later that year, having won two Olympic gold medals and seven world medals, but never mastering the move.
If Ilia lands it cleanly on Friday, he could establish himself as one of the sport’s most daring and technically skilled skaters ever.
No pressure, right?