The young man, nicknamed the God of the Quadruple, secured the first gold for the United States in the team event with a backflip that left Novak Djokovic gaping in amazement.
Born in the United States, in Virginia, his parents, Tatiana Malinina and Roman Skorniakov, were also two-time Olympians who competed for Uzbekistan. However, aware that they would have better opportunities by migrating to the United States, they decided to leave their family behind to start a new life.
At the age of 6, Ilia made his debut on the ice, but his true passion was soccer. "I thought I was going to be a footballer, but my parents didn't have time to take me to soccer classes, so skating took over me in a way," he confessed to People magazine. In another interview, his grandfather insisted that at the age of 15, he wanted to quit skating for soccer.
Ilia's parents did not neglect his education and his eldest son's legacy, so he attended a Russian-speaking kindergarten and school. At home, the family communicates in this language. Ilia has mentioned on several occasions that he speaks and understands Russian fluently, but has difficulties in writing and reading it.
As expected, his parents began training him. They warned him that it would be a very tough and sacrificial process, but the young man eventually accepted. "He was an athletic child. In general, he enjoyed practicing sports. For general physical training, Tanya and Roma took him to gymnastics," admitted the grandfather.
Through perseverance, the skater achieved his first major success at the age of 11 by winning the U.S. Championships. Two years later, he failed to qualify in the same tournament, which led him to doubt himself, worry excessively, not wanting to disappoint his loved ones, and even considered giving it all up.
Very mature for his age, Ilia understood that life is not all about winning, learned techniques to strengthen his mind, reconsidered his training approach, and continued training for over eight hours daily.
This determination bore fruit in the early stages of the pandemic as Ilia was consistently able to perform quadruple jumps. In the fall of 2022, he made history by successfully completing the quadruple Axel in competition (a jump with 4.5 rotations, long considered physically demanding and nearly impossible in international competition) and the following year became the first figure skater to perform all four jumps in competition.
Ilia is very grateful to his parents. He often posts photos with them on social media, especially with his mother, who is not only his official coach but also his number one fan.
In one of the athlete's social media comments, he dedicated some beautiful words: "Thank you for being there for me every step of the way, in good and bad times. I cherish many wonderful memories we have created together and look forward to creating more in the future."
Aware that the pressure he faces brings high levels of stress and anxiety, Ilia has found drawing, painting, and reading to be the best hobbies to unwind. And, of course, one of his favorite pastimes is locking himself in his room to play video games on the computer and create electronic music.
Regarding romantic relationships, the young man has expressed several times that he is "prioritizing education and career over dating." He has also not neglected his studies as after graduating in 2023 from George C. Marshall High School, he enrolled at George Mason University, where he mainly pursues distance learning.
As expected, the youngest in the family, Elli Beatrice (10), known as Liza, is also a competitive figure skater. Like Ilia, they opted for the maternal surname in its feminine form, Malinina, as their parents were concerned that the paternal surname, Skorniakov, would be too difficult to pronounce.