"Ilia Malinin, figure skating's current box office sensation, first emerged earlier this decade as the sport's next great action hero, the self-proclaimed Quad God, a teenager not only capable of leaping tall buildings in a single bound but doing 4 1/2 rotations before touching down. Malinin, then 18, in September 2022 became the first person to successfully land a quadruple Axel, skating's most difficult jump, in competition, a feat two-time Olympian Johnny Weir has compared to the first moon landing."
"Right now, he has no rivals, and back then, there wouldn't have been any either. In the past, top athletes were only performing one or two quadruple jumps at best. Maybe in 15 or 20 years, someone stronger than Ilia will emerge, but in the past, there was no one like him."
Figure skating captivates through cinematic, story-driven performances that combine choreography, music and athleticism, creating expressive athletic art. Shae-Lynn Bourne emphasizes the sport's ability to convey narrative and emotion unlike clock-driven sports. Ilia Malinin rose as a breakout sensation by performing unprecedented quadruple jumps, including the first successful quadruple Axel in September 2022. He won his first World title in 2024, breaking a free skate world record, and defended his title by landing all six jumps as quads. Leading coaches and peers describe him as without current rivals, and he is widely regarded as the sport's face at age 21.
Read at www.ocregister.com
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