This story is taken from the summer 2026 issue of Dazed, which is on sale internationally from June 5. Pre-order a copy of the magazine here.

The gold was meant to be his. Ilia Malinin, widely known as the “Quad God”, was the favourite to win the men’s individual figure skating event at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan. A three-time world champion and four-time US national champion, Malinin has been nearly untouchable since making his senior debut in 2021. In a sport where events are narrowly contested, he has won by staggering margins – at times by more than 70 points. Much of what he does on the ice was, at one time, considered impossible. He is the first and only skater to land a quad axel – a jump requiring 4.5 revolutions in the air – in competition and to land seven quad jumps in a single programme. He has shattered world records, had historic winning streaks and revolutionised the sport as a whole. In Milan, the 21-year-old secured victory for his country in the skating team event. But days later, things didn’t go to plan in the men’s free skate: he finished in eighth place after losing his nerve on the ice, falling twice.

 “I have so much more to learn,” he says, reflecting on the defeat a few months later. “Going to the Olympics, thinking I knew everything… [There was a lot] that I didn’t really account for – little things that all added up together, and that’s probably what caused it to happen.” Malinin was gracious after the loss: he didn’t hesitate to embrace and congratulate Mikhail Shaidorov of Kazakhstan, who ultimately claimed the title. Unsurprisingly, he was met with universal sympathy for the outcome. “Receiving so much love and support after what happened made me realise it’s not just about the medals,” he reflects. 

Now, Malinin is taking the lessons that he learned in Milan and putting them into practice. “Honestly, it just helped me improve and develop and grow as a person,” he says. “Looking back on it now, I think it was really necessary for that to happen.” He vowed to redeem himself at the World Championships in March, just a month after the Olympics. He did just that, earning his third consecutive world title. The future looks bright again. 

It’s now April, the off-season for skaters, and we’ve travelled to shoot Malinin on a crisp, sunny morning in Greenville, South Carolina. The skater has arrived after an overnight drive from Florida; he’s in the middle of a two-month arena tour of the US with Stars on Ice, where he and his fellow Olympians will perform. This is a rare day off for Malinin. We pick him up at his hotel. To begin with, he seems reserved – polite, professional, tired, but ready for the day. Our first location is the ice rink. It’s not his home rink, nor one he’s ever been to before, but it is ice nonetheless, which to him is home. He transforms once the skates are on. In the first look, his neck is adorned with Swarovski jewellery. He sways to the music and spins so the crystals catch the light. Now he’s awake: confident, expressive, cheerful. A true showman. 

He lights up when he sees the clothes: Malinin loves fashion and wants to design one day. For someone already so accomplished, he’s got a laundry list of things he wants to do with his life, from vlogging to clothing design. Between every look, Malinin peeks over our shoulders at the shot list, weighing in on the creative direction of it all – open to everything but eager to share his opinion. We move from the rink to a mansion with 46 rooms and he wanders around, admiring the place, taking photos of his own with the new camera he just got for his YouTube channel.

After we wrap, we sit down for a conversation.

How did you find today? Did you enjoy the shoot? 

Ilia Malinin: I was honestly blown away by the incredible pieces of clothing we had. It was just such a fun experience to go and see the different places we shot at. Yeah, it was unreal. 

Do you enjoy doing stuff like this outside of skating? 

Ilia Malinin: Absolutely. It’s one of my favourite parts of the fashion world – being creative, being artistic, having opportunities like these to express myself.

OK, I’ve got a couple of skating-related questions – how do you feel now that the season is over? 

Ilia Malinin: I feel really relieved. I feel relaxed and able to show just why I love skating so much to the audience of the show world.

How did you approach the World Championships differently from the Olympics?

Ilia Malinin: Honestly, it was more about thinking of it like, “This is the last competition of the season, [there’s] nothing after that.” [I was thinking], “Just a few more weeks, just a few more weeks” every week, and it just got me to the point where I was able to approach it like, “Hey, I’m here, so let’s just get this over with.” Also, you know hair holds memories. So I had to get a trim before I went [there]. 

Now that it’s all over, do you have any new perspectives on what happened in Milan?

Ilia Malinin: Yeah, I definitely learned so much from Milan. Just going to the Olympics – being there, representing my family and the US – was one of the best moments of my life. It was so unreal, meeting so many cool people [and] getting so many opportunities. 

Anyone familiar with what you’re capable of knows that winning the Olympics should have been within reach for you. But maybe what happened was better for your personal growth in some ways? 

Ilia Malinin: Yeah, I absolutely think of it that way. I always [think] that everything happens for a reason. So that’s something I stick to in my life, and what happened in Milan was definitely a learning curve, something that I really learned from. It helped me to understand that I am so much more than just figure skating, and that I have so much more to learn. I went to the Olympics thinking that I knew everything – knew how to approach it, knew how to set myself up for the best. 

[But there was a lot] that I didn’t account for – little things that all added up together, and that’s probably what caused it to happen. So it’s just about learning that, you know, it’s a part of the sport. It honestly, again, just helped me improve and develop and grow as a person. Looking back on it now, I think it was really necessary for that to happen. 

I also think people don’t realise that, unlike in any other sport, with skating you’re only out there for a few minutes. It’s not like with basketball or football. You can’t miss one shot and then come back and win. You literally have one second. I just felt like I was seeing so much pressure from the outside on you; we have such massive expectations for athletes who are, at the end of the day, human. 

Ilia Malinin: Right. It’s like sometimes I’ll watch a hockey game and see them miss what looks like an easy pass and I’ll be like, ‘These guys should be good at this,’ but that’s how people see me as well. They look at me and all of the medals that I’ve won and assume that it’s gonna be easy for me. But again, like I said, anything can happen. [US Alpine skier] Mikaela Shiffrin said, ‘People are watching us have the best day of our lives but also the worst day of our lives.’ For me, that was one of the worst days I’ve had. From the outside it’s so easy to be like, ‘Oh, why didn’t you just do it?’ But in reality it takes so much more energy, so much more time. We spend years preparing ourselves for the Olympics. It takes so long just to get to that point – and that’s life, things happen. 

After that long programme ended, were you surprised at the fact that people all over the world wrapped their arms around you?  I feel like we all just wanted to reach out and give you a hug and be like “It’s OK.” 

Ilia Malinin: Yeah, definitely, that’s exactly how I felt. It took me a few days to feel that way but in the end, when I did [feel] that emotional support and love from everyone, I realised that I had such a bigger impact – I even feel like if I had won, it would have been worse in a way. For me, it seemed like people valued me more [once I became] more relatable. I try not to worry so much about what will or won’t happen. It’s more about living in the moment – that’s how you can appreciate things more and really understand and find your purpose in life and in everything you do. 

It’s not about medals anymore. I want to change the sport

And let’s not forget, you did come home with a gold medal in the team event. 

Ilia Malinin: Yeah. And I think that just showed I really put more into my team and sacrificed my individual event to go out there, you know, and do it for the team and give them that Olympic [gold] medal. So I’m gonna brag about it; I want people to understand that I put all of my risk into that team event.

Medals don’t define a person. That’s the mindset I have now. It’s not [about] winning medals any more. I want to change the sport. I want to push figure skating to a new level of attention. I’m starting to see that now. Especially with all the other skaters who are helping in that movement. So many people come up to me and say that I’m inspiring them to skate or I’m inspiring them to be a better person. I feel so proud of that. I want figure skating to be one of the biggest sports, and [forms of] art, in the world. 

And what are some of your goals outside of skating? 

Ilia Malinin: I have a few goals outside of skating. I’m hoping to start in fashion design, hoping to become a vlogger. I want to be known as more than just a figure skater. I like to be very creative. I really want to inspire people around the world [and help them] to realise that it’s OK to be different. It’s OK to be unique, it’s OK to stand out – there’s nothing wrong with that. If everybody likes the same thing and hates everyone else for being different, that’s just not a good society. 

What are some of the things that make you unique? 

Ilia Malinin: I really feel like I’m open to everything and I want to learn more about people and things. Learning new ideas, theories. I really love talking about hypothetical theories of the universe or the world. You know, spirituality. The unnatural or the supernatural. I’m one of those people who likes to learn a lot. 

Do you believe in alternate universes? 

Ilia Malinin: Every single decision you make has an another decision you could have picked. Even for the Olympics, there is a reality where I landed every single jump in that programme and became Olympic champion. There’s also a reality where I didn’t even make the Olympics. It’s just endless other realities. And that just shows you how lucky you are to be where you are. 

Totally. When do you feel the most free? 

Ilia Malinin: Honestly, on the ice is one of the places I feel the most free, open and unafraid of judgement. 

Have you always been open-minded? 

Ilia Malinin: Absolutely not. I was always someone who was stuck thinking in one way. The last few years have definitely changed my perspective on the world. I just started to realise that it’s OK to say no. It’s OK to put myself first. You can’t always be a people pleaser. You have to find a balance, where you respect yourself. Your real friends and your real family, the people you trust, should be able to understand. When you respect yourself, it shows. It shows how much you mean business. You have to do things for the genuine, moral good.

This story is taken from the summer 2026 issue of Dazed, which is on sale internationally from June 5. Pre-order a copy of the magazine here.

Hair and make-up Inna Shats using Oribe, styling assistant Kameron Kubicki, production Jon Rouleau, production assistant Ben Andrews, casting Michele Mansoor, special thanks the city of Greenville, Gassaway Mansion, The Pavilion, Kathleen Jennings.