Ilia Malinin Fan Thread!

I'm both hyperventilating and left speechless...

Olympics.org article about Ilia -

https://www.olympics.com/en/milano-...ilia-malinin-quad-axels-2025-grand-prix-final

He's going for the 4a-3t in the SP in just over 12 hours! And plans a 7-quad layout for the FS.

And was trying a quint Sal in practices, but backed off after a couple of failed attempts. Though he may go for it at the Olympics.

“I felt really good, so I decided to maybe go for a 'quinsal',” he said of his training attempts. “It didn't work out, but I know in the future that it's almost there. I'm almost close to revealing it to the public.”
 
I guess, all things considered, the GPF is a relatively low-stakes comp for Ilia. He also did a 4A in the SP in 2023, then (wisely) went back to the 3A for Nats and Worlds. I hope he'll do the same for the Olys...he likes to go for it, but that's not necessarily a wise approach to the Olys, esp since he doesn't need a 4A in the SP to win the comp overall by 30+ points.

I feel like we're more likely to see the quint attempt at Worlds than at the Olys.
 
I think you're probably right, but it's as much about the mental game as it is anything else. If you're his competitor, how much does it linger in the back of your mind that Ilia may very well have a quint in his arsenal by February?
 
I think you're probably right, but it's as much about the mental game as it is anything else. If you're his competitor, how much does it linger in the back of your mind that Ilia may very well have a quint in his arsenal by February?
He’s already winning competitions by 50 points over some of his main rivals. It shouldn’t linger at all.
 
I guess, all things considered, the GPF is a relatively low-stakes comp for Ilia. He also did a 4A in the SP in 2023, then (wisely) went back to the 3A for Nats and Worlds.
You can't do solo 4A in place of the required 2A or 3A in the short program. Ilia knew that and did both 4A and 3A at that GPF.
(The tech panel was initially confused, but they figured it out eventually.)

What he "went back to" in place of the 4A was the 4F.
 
You can't do solo 4A in place of the required 2A or 3A in the short program. Ilia knew that and did both 4A and 3A at that GPF.
(The tech panel was initially confused, but they figured it out eventually.)

What he "went back to" in place of the 4A was the 4F.
Ooops, that's right. So here he's replacing the 4Lz with the 4A. But still not a wise strategy for the Olys, IMO. There's not that much of a points difference between the two and missing (or getting a < or <<) in the SP can be deadly, even if he could theoretically make up the deficit, b/c in reality that might not happen.
 
2025 CS Lombardia Trophy (ISU SB of 108.87) - Ilia's SP jumps:
4F (11.00 bv) 4.58 4 5 4 5 4 4 4 4 15.58
3A (8.00 bv) 3.07 4 4 4 5 4 3 3 4 11.07
4Lz+3T (17.27 bv) x 4.22 4 3 4 4 3 4 3 4 21.49
= 48.14
(36.27 bv)

Today's GPF SP in Nagoya (94.05, 3rd place):
4Aq (12.50 bv) -5.71 -4 -5 -4 -5 -5 -4 -5 -4 -5 6.79
3A (8.00 bv) 1.94 3 2 2 2 3 2 2 3 4 9.94
4Lzq+3T (17.27 bv) x -1.31 -1 -2 -2 -2 0 -1 -1 -1 0 15.96
= 32.69
(37.77 bv)

Planned SP jumps for GPF:
4A+3T (12.50+4.20 = 16.70 bv)
3A (8.00 bv)
4Lz in 2nd half (11.50 bv x 10 percent = 12.65 bv)
= 37.35 bv

December 1st pre-GPF article that includes quotes from Goebel, Rippon and Wylie:
 
2025 CS Lombardia Trophy (ISU SB of 108.87) - Ilia's SP jumps:
4F (11.00 bv) 4.58 4 5 4 5 4 4 4 4 15.58
3A (8.00 bv) 3.07 4 4 4 5 4 3 3 4 11.07
4Lz+3T (17.27 bv) x 4.22 4 3 4 4 3 4 3 4 21.49
= 48.14
(36.27 bv)

Today's GPF SP in Nagoya (94.05, 3rd place):
4Aq (12.50 bv) -5.71 -4 -5 -4 -5 -5 -4 -5 -4 -5 6.79
3A (8.00 bv) 1.94 3 2 2 2 3 2 2 3 4 9.94
4Lzq+3T (17.27 bv) x -1.31 -1 -2 -2 -2 0 -1 -1 -1 0 15.96
= 32.69
(37.77 bv)

Planned SP jumps for GPF:
4A+3T (12.50+4.20 = 16.70 bv)
3A (8.00 bv)
4Lz in 2nd half (11.50 bv x 10 percent = 12.65 bv)
= 37.35 bv
Ilia knows that including the quad axel doesn't add much to his base value while increasing the risk. His team has been complaining about it ever since he started doing the quad axel in competition. I don't think he added the quad axel to the short program in order to increase his score. I think he added the quad axel combo out of the spread eagle just for the challenge and to show he could do it. I respect that. His short program in general wasn't his best today, but I doubt he regrets going for it.

I hope he still goes with his original plan for the free skate, even if it decreases the chances of him winning. I don't think he really cares much about whether he wins the GPF. He cares about doing that layout. The Olympics will be a whole different thing.
 
Ilia knows that including the quad axel doesn't add much to his base value while increasing the risk. His team has been complaining about it ever since he started doing the quad axel in competition. I don't think he added the quad axel to the short program in order to increase his score. I think he added the quad axel combo out of the spread eagle just for the challenge and to show he could do it. I respect that. His short program in general wasn't his best today, but I doubt he regrets going for it.

I hope he still goes with his original plan for the free skate, even if it decreases the chances of him winning. I don't think he really cares much about whether he wins the GPF. He cares about doing that layout. The Olympics will be a whole different thing.
Yes, exactly this, He doesn't care about another GPF title, he cares about the stuff that'll put him in the history books. A cleaan SP with a 4A and 4Z could be a record score that's hard for anyone else to touch (and even if the 4A isn't as valuable as it could be, it's about Doing It).
 
Holy hell.

Ilia's IG post about the GPF - he tells us to scroll to the end. And then shares a clip of a 4a+4a sequence!!!!!!

 
All 7 quads in his GPF FS: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DSFKxUujaRe/

Defector article by Kathryn Xu (December 7, 2025) - The Quad God Performs Another Miracle:
On Saturday, at the Grand Prix Final in Nagoya, Japan, he tried out a seven-quad program and he skated it clean, becoming the first man to do so and shattering the men's free program world record last set by, well, Ilia Malinin, the last time he stepped on ice. It's easy to forget that after failing to execute a quad axel combination that had never been done before in the short program, Malinin was in third, 14 points back from first place. After all, he immediately followed that up with a free skate in which he executed the Pokémon-esque maneuver of collecting every single possible quad jump, including the one only he can do.
But you don't need context to appreciate the athletic marvel of Ilia Malinin throwing himself into the air. Seeing it is enough.
 
TODAY Show appearance this week in NYC: https://nbcuniversalnewsgroup.com/n...-up-on-nbc-news-today-december-8-december-12/
Friday, December 12
(7-9 a.m.) Behind the Scenes with FedEx. TODAY’s Season of Giving: Sheinelle Joins the Cast of “A Christmas Carol.” John Stamos on “Palm Royale.” Countdown to Milan: U.S. Figure Skaters Ilia Mllinan :shuffle: Malinin and Isabeau Levito Perform Live.

Ilia will perform in 2 shows in Philadelphia on Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025 1 & 6 pm shows at the UPenn ice rink - GSD event thread:
 
Right after finishing his FS with seven quads at GPF, Ilia said, "Meccha tsukareta," which means "I'm super tired."

"Meccha" is a very casual Japanese word, and we speculated about who had taught him that expression.

And here is the answer...!

- When Malinin used the word “super (meccha),” it sparked speculation that Miura had taught it to him.

Kao Miura: “I don't remember exactly what I taught him, but I taught him quite a bit (laughs). I definitely remember teaching him ‘super.’ He also remembered words like ‘delicious’ and ‘right, left,’ so he must be studying pretty hard himself.”

 
I was at American Gold Live! in Philadelphia on Dec 13, and this clip of finale, especially the second half, is focused on Ilia. Enjoy! 😁

 

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