U.S. Figure Skater Ilia Malinin Makes Request After Coach's Cancer Diagnosis

James Lang-Imagn Images

U.S. Figure Skater Ilia Malinin Makes Request After Coach's Cancer Diagnosis

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Paolo Songco | Last updated Apr 1, 2026 8:23 PM ET

United States figure skater Ilia Malinin has little time to rest after his success at the World Figure Skating Championships in Prague, Czech Republic.

The “Quad God” dominated the field at the Worlds, resulting in his third consecutive title in arguably the biggest international ice skating competition outside the Olympics. The Worlds took place just over a month after Malinin made waves at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Games.

From Prague, Malinin flew directly to Osaka for his next figure skating gig. After the final competition of the season, the 21-year-old will now take part in the Japan leg of the Stars on Ice show alongside some of the top figure skaters in the world.

Ilia Malinin of the United States of America acknowledges the crowd as he warms up before men's singles short program during the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games.© James Lang-Imagn Images

Amid his extremely busy schedule, Malinin took time on Wednesday to address an unfortunate development. The U.S. figure skating superstar took to social media to make a request on behalf of coach and choreographer Nataliya Tymoshenko, who was recently diagnosed with breast cancer.

Tymoshenko, a professional coach for SkateQuest in Reston, Virginia, is currently not Malinin’s coach or choreographer. However, the Fairfax, Virginia native shares the same circle with Tymoshenko.

Malinin shared a post from figure skater Jasmin Liu that included a link to Tymoshenko’s GoFundMe page.

"Any Help would be appreciated greatly," Malinin captioned his Instagram story.

According to the GoFundMe page, funds are being raised for Tymoshenko and her family to “help ease the burden of medical expenses and lost income, helping Nataliya to focus on what matters most: healing and recovery.”

They are looking to raise $25,000. As of writing, $3,202 has been raised from 27 donations.

As for Malinin, the Stars on Ice Osaka leg is scheduled from Friday to Sunday. Shows are also scheduled in Tokyo from April 10 to 12.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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