Ilia Malinin, the U.S. figure skater nicknamed the “Quad God,” became the first person to legally land a backflip on one skate in the Olympics — although one trailblazing woman pulled it off when the move was still forbidden.

Ilia Malinin’s “Quad God” nickname draws attention as he aims for more gold medals at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Ilia Malinin is not like most figure skaters. Even when he makes mistakes, he is still so far ahead of the rest that he wins Olympic gold.

For at least a decade, the quadruple axel jump was figure skating’s white whale. “It’s been this unreachable thing, like the four-minute mile” once was, says Matthew Lind, a technical specialist for U.

Team USA's first-ever honorary coach will be bringing his signature style and energy as a special correspondent at the games that kick off on Friday (Feb. 6).