Ilia Malinin Fan Thread!

[Sylvia]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1578361257748418562

^^^ From TV Tokyo's video footage posted on their YT channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVNeTgDINQ4

【フィギュア】驚愕の4回転アクセル連発！イリア・マリニンの前日練習｜Japan Open 2022｜テレビ東京スポーツ：テレビ東京

先月、4回転アクセルを世界で初めて成功させた、アメリカのイリア・マリニン選手（17）が出場する「ジャパンオープン2022」。 前日練習で、4回転アクセルを何度も成功！ さらにプログラムでは驚異の4回転6種7本を跳び、会場をざわつかせました。 「ジャパンオープン2022」 10月8日（土）午後4時〜テレビ東京系列6局ネットで放送！公式HP：https://www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/japanopen2022/...

www.tv-tokyo.co.jp

 

[Karen-W]

It's Japan Open though. (He wasn't coached by Raf at Nationals 2022, either, IIRC)

I think he'll probably go for this layout here, and then drop two-three quads for the rest of the season. Health is important, and there are 4 seasons to Milan.

Agreed. I don't expect either the flip or the loop to be something he attempts most od the rest of the season. I can see him adding one quad per season (this season 4A, next season whichever of the loop or flip is more consistent, then the other one the following), and maybe adding in a second 4A or moving it to the bonus in 2025-26.

 

[jlai]

I imagine he’s doing them all in practices as a test and to get into the heads of his competitors. That’s totally a Raf coaching move.

Yup. I don’t see him trying to actually compete with all of them at least not right away. He needs experience competing

 

[skatfan]

It's Japan Open though. (He wasn't coached by Raf at Nationals 2022, either, IIRC)

I think he'll probably go for this layout here, and then drop two-three quads for the rest of the season. Health is important, and there are 4 seasons to Milan.

Don’t be too sure. Raf has been part of Malinin’s team for a few years now, it doesn’t matter that he’s not at comps with him. Review what Chen did last year by including the 4-loop in practices when it was never part of the competition plan.

We’ll know soon enough!

 

[On My Own]

Don’t be too sure. Raf has been part of Malinin’s team for a few years now, it doesn’t matter that he’s not at comps with him.

Again, it's Japan Open. Why would he want to spook anyone at Japan Open?

 

[skatfan]

Again, it's Japan Open. Why would he want to spook anyone at Japan Open?

Hello - this is his statement to the Japanese men right there at the beginning of the season on their home turf. Plus the rest of the field has already heard like we did.

Edited to add that he’s in Shoma’s head now:

https://olympics.com/en/news/figure-skating-japan-open-preview

 

[sk9tingfan]

Don’t be too sure. Raf has been part of Malinin’s team for a few years now, it doesn’t matter that he’s not at comps with him. Review what Chen did last year by including the 4-loop in practices when it was never part of the competition plan.

We’ll know soon enough!

It possibly is the intimidation factor that they are hoping for.

 

[orbitz]

The 4A looks so easy and effortless for Ilia now. Wow. Amazing. He could've easily tackle on a 3t to that axel landing.

 

[skatfan]

So Ilia went with a 5-quad program as I anticipated. Smart kid, he did an amazing job just with that and scared all his competitors about what might come. He almost beat Shoma.

 

[livetoskate]

Here's video of Ilia at the Japan Open. This channel also has videos of almost all other skaters:

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

youtu.be

 

[skatfan]

Here's video of Ilia at the Japan Open. This channel also has videos of almost all other skaters:

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

youtu.be

Thanks for the link. Jason got a well-deserved standing ovation.

 

[Sylvia]

Thanks, @clairecloutier! Her article on Ilia’s “press call this morning to talk about his preparations for Skate America & his season so far.”:

Ilia Malinin: Ready for Skate America

On a press call today, Ilia Malinin said that he is happy, but also nervous, to compete in front of a sold-out audience at Skate America later this week. “It will be pretty packed. It gets me…

adivinesport.com

 

[DreamSkates]

Quoting Ilia’s Dad when he stepped off the ice after his free skate at SA, “WOW”!

 

[livetoskate]

Quoting Ilia’s Dad when he stepped off the ice after his free skate at SA, “WOW”!

It was such an exciting performance. Even though I was only watching on Peacock in my living room, I could hear the roar of the crowd after Ilia landed his quad axel. It was only then that I wish I'd been there to see his skating in person. Congratulations to Ilia and his parents!

 

[On My Own]

Gosh, that must have been so taxing, had no energy left by the end. Happy to see him win!

 

[DreamSkates]

Gosh, that must have been so taxing, had no energy left by the end. Happy to see him win!

To me he seemed less taxed than the other top competitors. But he didn’t have to fly half way around the world to compete so that could have been a factor. But so so so exciting to see him win and with all those quads!

 

[orbitz]

Unlike the other types of quad where multiple skaters were able to learn them relatively quickly, I think the 4Axel will belong to Ilia and only Ilia for quite a few years. I love that Ilia really jump up into the jump and not execute these tiny, rotating off the ice that so many skaters are doing on their 3As. Maybe the 4A should be named 'The Ilia', LOL.

The music and choreography for the LP could be more engaging. Thank goodness he got rid of the cartwheel from the JPN Open.

 

[mtnskater]

Ilia’s interview with Andrea after his win was adorable. I hope if you didn’t see it you can find it somewhere. He was so happy and amazed that he had pulled off the quad axel. He said after he landed it the crowd was so loud he couldn’t hear his music. He’s a very sweet and humble guy….just beyond adorable. I love how he acknowledged and waived to the crowd after his skate. I thought it would be another generation before the U.S. had another Nathan Chen level of talent but here he is already. I don’t expect him to win everything in sight because the Japanese guys are stiff competition. But if he keeps improving his second mark and getting more consistent like Nathan did, he just might.

 

[Karen-W]

To me he seemed less taxed than the other top competitors. But he didn’t have to fly half way around the world to compete so that could have been a factor. But so so so exciting to see him win and with all those quads!

Apart from Miura, which of the guys in the top 5 was flying halfway around the world to get to SkAm? Cha and Sadovsky both train in the Toronto area, right? And Daniel was skating at his new home club. Daniel probably had the luxury of sleeping in his own bed every night of this competition, lol.

I think Ilia is just an extremely well-trained and conditioned, young athlete. And he did look like he exerted a lot of energy at the end of his program - he was definitely sweating by the time he took his bows.

 

[ANS4JBS]

I thought Ilia deserves his own fan thread here. Here is a cute video of him in a Yuzuru Hanyu-like costume from 2018. My nephew is probably in the same grade as Ilia in the same town so I need to ask him if he knows Ilia!

Ilia Malinin FS (2018 Chesapeake Open)

www.youtube.com

My fan video of the end of his FS at nationals recently:

Ilia Malinin FS 2022 Ending Standing Ovation Skating Championships

www.youtube.com

Interview with Dave Lease of The Skating Lesson:

Ilia Malinin: A TSL Interview (Илья Малинин)

Ilia Malinin stole the show at the 2022 U.S. Figure Skating Championships by landing six quads and earning a silver medal. The son of Tatiana Malinina and Ro...

www.youtube.com

The mom in me worries whether Ilian's at parents even send him to school. I hope they give him time for education. That quad axel was spectacular! I hope they let him have a life outside skating. I know, not my business, it just worries me wtih some of these young skaters that seem so singularly focused.

 

[Karen-W]

Why are you quoting the question about Ilia's education? It's well-reported that he attends a public high school in Fairfax County. He has a hybrid schedule, but spends about 3-4 hours every day on campus and in classes.

 

[livetoskate]

I didn't make that comment about his education, btw. I know he goes to public school around Fairfax, as my nephews and friend's daughters also go to schools near Ilia's. They don't know him but have definitely heard of him.

 

[mtnskater]

Why are you quoting the question about Ilia's education? It's well-reported that he attends a public high school in Fairfax County. He has a hybrid schedule, but spends about 3-4 hours every day on campus and in classes.

I also think that’s why in part he hasn’t relocated to train with RAF in California, because he is in high school in D.C. area and wants to finish his education there. He seems very grounded and in a close family.

 

[acraven]

CNN has an article about Ilia's Skate America performance on its website:

https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/23/sport/ilia-malinin-quad-axel-figure-skating-spt-intl/index.html

 

[OnyxRose81]

I lost count of how many times I replayed the 4A. That was a thing of beauty.

Congrats to Ilia on his SA win and being the youngest winner in its history.

 

[Spikefan]

NBC Nightly News showed the quad axel tonight on a little snip.

 

[Cachoo]

I lost count of how many times I replayed the 4A. That was a thing of beauty.

Congrats to Ilia on his SA win and being the youngest winner in its history.

It was that and then the crowd losing it for an extended time. You rarely see that kind of pure excitement at seeing something new.

 

[screech]

That 4A was sublime. It's amazing to me that there's absolutely no 'muscling' through it, no caution (like Sadovsky), no 'toe pick' stop at the take-off (Like Cha) - he just goes through it like it's anything else. And it looks easier than a large number of skaters' triple axels!

 

[Karen-W]

Okay, he's just raising the bar... Sounds like ISU Singles Tech Committee has some work to do!

Team USA on Instagram: "That’s five rotations, folks 🥶 #SkateAmerica"

Team USA shared a post on Instagram: "That’s five rotations, folks 🥶 #SkateAmerica". Follow their account to see 7561 posts.

www.instagram.com

 

[Sylvia]

Before Ilia's 2nd GP in Espoo this week:

This Finnish article translates fairly well into English:

Neloisaxelsankari Ilia Malinin nähdään Grand Prix Espoon jäällä

Ilia Malinin ei ole vielä täyttänyt kahdeksaatoista, mutta hän on jo kirjoittanut nimensä taitoluistelun historiaan.

www.skatingfinland.fi

From the end:

The skater who lands in Finland on Wednesday of the competition week plans to show the public his best.
- I want my skating to be fun to watch, to offer people great performances and a great feeling.

Malinin admits that he has a certain ritual before the competition. He eats a small snack that calms his nerves and gives him a little extra energy before going on the ice. He usually eats a piece of chocolate.
- They say Finnish chocolate is delicious. I'm really looking forward to tasting it!

https://twitter.com/x/status/1594738509595680769

@IDC a.k.a. Ritti

Olympics.com has posted a 3-minute video interview: https://olympics.com/en/video/ilia-malinin-i-still-can-t-believe-i-m-in-history