Vienna's Ilia Malinin Wins Second U.S. Championship, Completes Quadruple Axle

VIENNA, VA — Vienna's Ilia Malinin, the self-proclaimed "Quadg0d," again proved why he has that title at the U.S. Figure Skating National Championships Sunday.

Malinin, a 19-year-old graduate of George C. Marshall High School now attending George Mason University, won his second men's final in the U.S. Figure Skating National Championships in Columbus, Ohio. He completed a quadruple axle in the men's competition, a move that made him history. In 2022, Malinin had become the first and only skater in history to complete a quadruple axel in a competition at the U.S. International Classic. The quadruple axle is considered figure skating's most difficult move.

Despite a few errors in his skate, Malinin completed three of the first four quads in his skate. He won first with a score of 294.35. Silver medalist Jason Brown received a score of 264.50, and bronze medalist Camden Pulkinen earned 262.33.

"It was a fun skate, especially with all the problems I’ve had the past week with all the boot issues,” Malinin said via a U.S. Figure Skating news release. "The crowd was really supportive, cheering me on. It was an amazing feeling they gave me through the whole competition."

Malinin began figure skating in 2010 under the guidance of his Olympic skater parents, who both competed for Uzbekistan. He started competing in 2015 and has won championships along the way. Malinin is affiliated with the Washington Figure Skating Club and trains in Reston.

Malinin and the other top three finishers will be representing the U.S. on the men's team at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2024 in Montreal, Quebec. Malinin is also trying to make the U.S. team in the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics after not being selected for the 2022 Beijing Olypmics team despite placing second at the 2022 national championship.