Ilia Malinin: The 20-year-old American figure skater redefining the sport

ST. LOUIS (AP) — The best figure skater of his generation may just go down as the best of any generation. He's capable of landing jumps nobody else can, with creativity that is nearly unmatched and plenty of artistry to go with all of his otherworldly execution.

All that Ilia Malinin must do now is deliver on the Olympic stage.

The 20-year-old American phenom has waited four long years for the Milan Cortina Games, after he was controversially left off the U.S. team for the Beijing Olympics. It was primarily due to his age and inexperience — it certainly wasn't due to his ability, which had already put him in rarified air — and it fueled Malinin during the past quadrennial to become the best in the world.

Malinin has won the past two world titles, the latest last year in Boston with relative ease. He hasn't lost a competition in about two years, whether it be lower-level tune-ups, elite-level Grand Prix events or the national championships, where Malinin triumphed for the fourth consecutive time in St. Louis earlier this month.

The scores that he has posted along the way rival the best in history, including the standard set by his countryman, Nathan Chen.

“Ilia is a whole different, like, factor,” says his U.S. teammate, Amber Glenn. “I mean, he's the son of two incredible figure skaters, and he's just built, quite literally, different. And like, it's insane. He's both talented and hard working, and it's amazing what he does.”

Malinin's Russian-born mother, Tatiana Malinina, competed at the 1998 Olympics for Uzbekistan, and won the prestigious Grand Prix Final the next year. His Russian-born father, Roman Skorniakov, competed for Uzbekistan at both the 1998 and 2002 Winter Games.

Malinin's genes go deeper, though. His grandfather, Valery Malinin, competed for the Soviet Union and still coaches in Russia.

So it was never really a question whether he would go into the family business.

Malinin would tag along to the rink with his parents as a kid, though back then he preferred soccer to skating. But once he began to hit those big jumps that have become his hallmark, Malinin was committed. His parents coached him to the junior world title in 2022 after he had missed out on the Winter Games.

With Hall of Fame coach Rafael Arutyunyan soon joining his team, Malinin won his first senior U.S. title, then began winning on the Grand Prix stage. The gold medals soon began to pile up in the most elite competitions in figure skating.

“Ilia challenges himself constantly,” explains Arutyunyan, who coached Chen to gold at the Beijing Games. “Our biggest challenge is keeping the team of people who work with him on the same page. We're all there for him when he needs his team most.”

Malinin has never needed it as much as now.

As the Milan Cortina Games draw nearer, the pressure is mounting, on the ice and off. Malinin has a number of corporate sponsors, and that comes with a certain amount of weight. His face is omnipresent in NBC spots leading up to its broadcast of the Olympics. And he is accosted by fans for photos and autographs just about everywhere he goes.

“With my team, we've been planning a strategic plan to prepare myself mentally and physically, so when I get to the Olympics, that's when I'm at my peak,” Malinin told The Associated Press in a wide-ranging interview. “We've talked for months, and managing what I train and how I train specifically, and what I'm going to do at all the competitions leading up to the Olympics.”

Malinin began his season by capturing the Lombardia Trophy, then he dominated the Grand Prix de France and Skate Canada, where his score of 333.81 was nearly 80 points better than second-place Aleksandr Selevko of Estonia.

In fact, his personal-best score nearly broke the world record of 335.30 points, set by Chen in 2019 at the Grand Prix Final.

Then, Malinin added another Grand Prix Final title of his own in December, and another national championship in January.

Malinin won that won easily, despite a dialed-back free skate as he sorted out some issues with a new set of skates.

“He has such a passionate fire for skating,” says his choreographer, Shae-Lynn Bourne. “He's one of those that have skates on an hour before we work and an hour after we work. He just puts the time in, and he's constantly — not just loves to skate, but he's not someone who will ever coast, or just go on what he knows he can do. He constantly wants to be challenged.”

That's why Malinin pushed himself to land the quad axel, a 4 1/2-rotation jump nobody else has landed in competition. And it was the impetus behind his signature “raspberry twist,” and a myriad other spins, leaps and moves that seem to defy gravity and logic.

“It's been amazing to see him, not only how he deals with the pressure but how he's really matured as a person,” says Jason Brown, a two-time Olympian. “We're behind him every step of the way. Everyone feels that way.”

AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

Gold medalist Ilia Malinin arrives for the medal ceremony after the men's free skate competition at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Gold medalist Ilia Malinin poses with his medal during the men's free skate competition at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Ilia Malinin skates during the "Making Team USA" performance at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Ilia Malinin competes during the men's free skate competition at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Ilia Malinin acknowledges the crowd after finishing first in the men's free skate competition at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

ROME (AP) — Rome is paying its final tribute to legendary designer Valentino, who made his high-glamour gowns and trademark shade of red an iconic symbol of Italian elegance.

Valentino Garavani, who died aged 93 at his Rome residence on Monday, built his house in the Italian capital, where he will be lying in state at his foundation in Piazza Mignanelli on Wednesday and Thursday, just a few steps away from the world-known Spanish Steps.

His funeral will be held on Friday in the Basilica di Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri in central Rome.

The jet-set Italian designer, universally known by his first name, was adored by generations of royals, first ladies and movie stars, from Jackie Kennedy Onassis to Julia Roberts and Queen Rania of Jordan, who swore the designer always made them look and feel their best.

Hundreds of fashion celebrities, authorities and regular citizens are expected to honor the “last emperor” of Italian fashion during the public viewing. He always maintained his atelier in Rome, while he mostly unveiled his collections in Paris.

Hailing him as one of “Italy’s most luminous and beloved figures,” Rome's mayor, Roberto Gualtieri, underlined the designer’s strong links with the Italian capital.

Never one for edginess or statement dressing, Valentino’s nearly half-century career stretched from his early days in Rome in the 1960s through to his retirement in 2008.

He founded the house of Valentino on Rome’s central Via Condotti in 1959.

Valentino’s fail-safe designs made him the king of the red carpet, the go-to man for A-listers’ awards ceremony needs.

His sumptuous gowns have graced countless Academy Awards, notably in 2001, when Roberts wore a vintage black and white column to accept her best actress statue. Cate Blanchett also wore Valentino — a one-shouldered number in butter-yellow silk — when she won the Oscar for best supporting actress in 2005.

Alessandro Michele, the current creative director of the Valentino fashion house, wrote in Instagram that he continues to feel Valentino’s “gaze” as he works on the next collection, which will be presented March 12 in Rome, departing from the usual venue of Paris.

Giancarlo Giammetti arrives at the lying in state of fashion designer Valentino Garavani at the Valentino Garavani e Giancarlo Giammetti Foundation headquarters in central Rome, Wednesday Jan. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

The coffin of fashion designer Valentino Garavani arrives for the lying in state at the Valentino Garavani and Giancarlo Giammetti foundation headquarters in central Rome, Wednesday Jan. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

FILE - Australian actress Cate Blanchett, wearing a gown designed by Valentino Garavani, arrives for the 77th Academy Awards, Feb. 27, 2005, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Amy Sancetta, File)

FILE - Italian fashion designer Valentino Garavani walks the catwalk with his models after a fashion show on October 20, 1991 in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Remy de la Mauviniere, File)

Giancarlo Giammetti arrives at the lying in state of fashion designer Valentino Garavani at the Valentino Garavani e Giancarlo Giammetti Foundation headquarters in central Rome, Wednesday Jan. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

FILE - Models take to the runway after the presentation of Italian fashion designer Valentino's Haute Couture Spring-Summer 2008 collection, in Paris, Jan. 23, 2008. (AP Photo/Jacques Brinon, File)

FILE - Italian fashion designer Valentino Garavani looks on during a press conference at Rome's Capitoline museums, Wednesday, June 13, 2007, on the occasion of the 45th anniversary of Valentino Maison foundation. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia, File)