The American landed a clean quad Axel in practice Tuesday (21 March) as he prepares for a second appearance at the worlds. "I'm here ready to deliver," he said.
6 min By Nick McCarvel
The hat - with Japanese characters across it - said it all: "Quad God".
The wearer of said hat was American Ilia Malinin, and the nickname he's had for the last several years was now emblazoned on his headwear, a gift from a Japanese TV crew he had recently done an interview with.
"I enjoy it," Malinin said with a coy smile as he spoke to reporters on Tuesday (21 March) after practice ahead of the ISU World Figure Skating Championships in Saitama, Japan.
That practice was one in which Malinin landed a near-perfect quadruple Axel, the historic jump that he remains the only skater to have ever completed it in competition. He looks primed to nail it again here, where the 18-year-old is among the favourites for the men's singles event, set for Thursday and Saturday.
"There's really no secrets," he said of the quad Axel, which he first landed in competition at the beginning of the 2022-23 season. "You just have to keep working, practicing as hard as possible if you believe in yourself. Yeah, yeah. You've got to put in the time and effort and you'll be able to pull it off."
It has not been that simple for some of the greats in this sport, including two-time Olympic champion Hanyu Yuzuru, who tried the jump but couldn't land it at the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022. Nathan Chen, the Beijing winner, practiced the jump but never tried it in competition.
Malinin, who has made a splash on the international scene this season with his big-jumping ways, will be among the favourites for the men's title, with reigning world champion Uno Shoma of Japan having difficulty with his jumps in his practice on Tuesday.
"I came in here and I worked the last couple of weeks on being very confident, believing in myself, and just making sure that everything is in very good condition," he said. "And I'm here ready to deliver it on the ice."
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Ilia Malinin: My programs are way different to last year
What a difference a year makes
Malinin is at the worlds for a second year after a breakout performance at the U.S. Championships in 2022 landed him on the world team - but not the Olympic one. He was fourth after the short program only to fall to ninth overall, though he rebounded a few weeks later by winning the World Junior Championships title.
He said his life hasn't been the same over the last 12 months - the quad Axel bringing him international recognition, and a growing list of senior accomplishments putting him among the top skaters in the world.
"So much has changed," he said. "I mean, there's a lot more recognition. I go to school and there's people like, 'Oh, you're that skater boy.' There's so many people just recognizing me and appreciating how much effort I put into this sport... It just means so much to me that people are keeping up with [my skating]."
What did he learn from his worlds debut a year ago in Montpellier, France?
"I think that last year one of the main things [was] I got lucky... I guess you could call it that," Malinin said of his silver at the U.S. Championships, which was an unexpected placement - beating both Vincent Zhou and Jason Brown.
"But I think this year I definitely put a lot of effort into improving the jumps, the spins, my choreography... all of that."
While Uno struggled heavily in practice on Tuesday, Malinin was sound. While it's not a two-man race for gold, a free-wheeling Malinin hitting his quads and maintaining strong program component scores is no doubt in the mix for the podium. Though - he says - that's not a focus of his.
"“[It’s not about] the placement or a specific goal. [I want] to try to stay consistent, focus on doing my job.”
Malinin on quad Axel: "It was a real hassle"
It's not only the qaud Axel that Malinin has in his arsenal: In each of his three Grand Prix events this season he put out five quad jumps, including the flip, toe-loop and Salchow.
With its base value of 12.5 points, the Axel remains the biggest point-getter in the sport, however.
"It's really comfortable," Malinin said of the state of the jump. "When I was first learning it, it was definitely a real hassle. I had to, you know, be in the right mental state, be full of energy."
It is not a given, though.
Malinin fell on the jump at his most recent event, the U.S. Championships in late January, and struggled in his free skate thereafter, doubling two planned quad jumps and - at one point - looking disinterested in continuing.
It's an experience he said he's learned from, though this event will be his first since then as he opted to do exhibition shows in Europe instead of competing in last month's Four Continents Championships.
"I think the main thing to know [is] that no matter how I'm feeling, if I have a good day by day... how nervous I am, I just have to work and train so that no matter what the pressure [is] or what situation you're in, you're going to be able to pull it off pretty consistently," Malinin explained of his learnings from San Jose.
"I think that doing shows really helps me perform... helps me perfect all the artistry, the creativity. The main goal is obviously to win [at competitions], but you also have to be one of the best out there so that people can enjoy watching. [The shows help me] really have to focus on staying on my feet and just performing for the audience and making it fun and enjoyable for them to watch."
And - if he does all of that on the world championships stage, quads included - he'll be in the running to skate away with a medal around his neck.
