George Mason’s Ilia Malinin claims Olympic gold

On Saturday, February 7, George Mason University student and reigning world figure skating champion Ilia Malinin helped power the United States to a team figure skating gold medal at the Milano Cortina Winter Games. 

“This is your moment—it’s either do or die,” Malinin told reporters following his performance. “You have to go into this 100% and really know that it’s all up to you. I went in there with that mindset and really just let everything take its course.” 

In his Olympic debut, Malinin, a 21-year-old exploratory studies major in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, became the first George Mason student or alumni to ever claim a Winter Olympics gold medal. He’ll be a heavy favorite to add to his medal haul when the men’s singles competition gets underway on Tuesday, February 10, starting at 12:30 p.m.  

To support Malinin, large TV screens have been set up in the Johnson Center atrium on the Fairfax Campus and in the lobby of Fuse at Mason Square, giving the Mason Nation the opportunity to gather and cheer one of their own. 

A Vienna native and 2023 graduate of George C. Marshall High School, Malinin—nicknamed the “Quad God”—has been one of the most recognizable figures of the Olympics, known for both his charisma and his ability to push the sport forward through the extreme difficulty of his jumps. He’s the only figure skater to have successfully landed a quad axel in competition, a jump requiring four and a half revolutions. 

After a solid performance in Saturday’s initial skate, Malinin upped his game in spectacular fashion the following day, executing five quad jumps to help Team USA surpass Japan for Olympic gold. 

Speaking to the press afterwards, Malinin reflected on the pressure of competing as the overwhelming favorite. 

“That’s something that everyone has to go through. They have to find a way to motivate themselves and keep it together during that pressure,” he said. “A lot of the times, I’m able to use that pressure and embrace it and tell myself, ‘You have all the attention, now it’s your time to go out there and do what you know how to do, and put your trust in everything you’ve worked to up to this moment.’”