Members of the American University and George Mason University PRSSA chapters pose for a photo with Ilia Malinin on the quad. Photos by Ryan Barna, SOC/BA '27.

News flash: Ilia Malinin, like all of us, is human. 

The figure skater’s prodigious ability to land all six types of quadruple jumps has earned him three world championships, a 2026 Olympic gold medal in Milano Cortina, and the moniker “The Quad God.” 

On September 17, Malinin, a 21-year-old George Mason University student, stepped off the ice and untied his skates to accept the Icons of DC Award from American University’s Chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America. The honor is presented annually to leaders who have made a profound impact on their field and community. 

AU PRSSA president Adan Hernandez Nova, SOC/BA ’27, presented the award alongside GMU PRSSA president Kai Sharpless; GMU faculty advisor Barbara Burfeind; and School of Communication professor Gemma Puglisi, AU chapter and PRSSA international faculty advisor. School of Communication dean Marnel Niles Goins gave opening remarks. 

“This is so much more nerve-wracking than actually competing,” Malinin said as he accepted the award. 

In a wide-ranging conversation moderated by Braden Miller, SOC/BA ’28, and Sharpless, Malinin pulled back the curtain on elite athletics, reminding the audience that beyond his otherworldly technical feats, he navigates the same everyday student life they do.  

“On the ice, I might be a crazy, mindless figure skater,” Malinin told 250 students from AU and GMU gathered in Kerwin Hall. “But off the ice, I like to do what typical college students like to do. I like to game. I like to sleep, eat, enjoy life.” 

A native of Fairfax, Virginia, Malinin has no doubt spent his fair share of time stuck in Beltway traffic. He juggles homework and midterms and is currently taking a photography class. He skateboards (at a strictly non-Olympic level), loves fashion, and counts NF as his favorite musical artist. 

After four to six grueling hours of daily on-ice training, he unwinds at home with his two ragdoll cats, Mysti and Miu Miu. And like many students facing deadline pressure, he has a sweet tooth: a Hershey’s milk chocolate bar before every competition is his go-to ritual to calm pre-skate jitters. 

He also knows the sting of failure. The son of Olympic skaters, Tatiana Malinina and Roman Skorniakov—who represented Uzbekistan before immigrating to Virginia in 1998—Malinin laced up his first pair of skates at age seven. By eleven, and coached by his parents, he captured a US Juvenile title, and two years later he was landing quads. At the 2022 US Figure Skating Classic, he made history as the first skater to land a fully rotated quad axel in competition and later that season became the youngest men’s Skate America champion.

His ascent culminated at the 2025 Grand Prix Final in Nagoya, Japan, where he became the first skater to land seven clean quadruple jumps in a single free skate—solidifying his status as a once-in-a-generation talent. 

Arriving at the 2026 Winter Olympics as a favorite, Malinin delivered under intense pressure to help the US capture gold in the team event. But in the individual men’s free skate, two uncharacteristic falls dropped him to eighth place. 

“I blew it,” Malinin said immediately after his shocking finish. “That’s honestly the first thing that came to my mind.” Yet it wasn’t the end of the story. Just one month later, Malinin rebounded to capture his third consecutive World Figure Skating Championship. 

“Don’t be afraid to fail in life,” Malinin told the students, “because you learn so much more from not being able to achieve the things you want. We all make mistakes—that’s part of human nature. It’s really [beautiful] to see in all the inconveniences and all the inconsistencies that we have as humans.” 

His season continues in November when he takes the ice at Skate America in Seattle, broadcast live on NBC and Peacock. 

“If you guys watch,” he said with a smile, “I’ll appreciate the support from back here in my hometown.”