U.S. Figure Skater Ilia Malinin's Parents Competed at Winter Olympics for Another Country

His mother Tatiana Malinina placed eighth at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano and attempted to compete at the 2002 Games but was forced to withdraw her name due to the flu. His father Roman Skorniakov competed at both the 1998 and 2002 Winter Olympics and finished 19th each time.

The couple moved to Dale City, Virginia, in 1998. After getting married in January 2000, they welcomed Ilia almost five years later on Dec. 2, 2004. They later had a daughter, Elli Beatrice, who also competes as a junior figure skater.

Ironically, Malinin’s parents never intended for him to follow their path, but to play soccer. “Quad God” told “People” that he shifted his goal after landing his first quad jump at 13, which made his parents realize he was “surprisingly good” enough to be an athlete. 

Both parents now coach Malinin at SkateQuest in Northern Virginia alongside other elite skaters. The two-time world champion was given his mother's surname in the masculine inflection because his parents were concerned that his father's surname would be too difficult to pronounce.

Malinin returned to the ice Tuesday for the men's individual short program, followed by the free skate Thursday at 3 p.m. ET. He enters as the overwhelming favorite for individual gold.