It’s bold as a figure skater to call yourself the “Quad God,” even more so to use the moniker as your social media handle. But for Ilia Malinin, the nickname is not just youthful bravado. It’s a statement of fact. The 21-year-old from Virginia, who has mastered the quadruple versions of all six skating jumps–from the (relatively) easiest, the quadruple toe loop, to the most challenging, the quadruple axel–has been setting a new standard for the sport every time he steps on the ice. In December, for instance, he made history when he became the first skater to land seven quadruple jumps in a single program. Here’s a breakdown of the jumps Malinin is expected to perform in his programs at the Milano Cortina Olympics in February.
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Quadruple Toe Loop
This is generally the first jump skaters learn, and Malinin takes it to new heights by starting out on the forward inside edge of his skating foot, switching to a backward outside edge, and then tapping the toe pick of the other foot to launch himself in the air, following the natural rotation his skating leg has already started on the ice, to complete four turns in the air before landing back on the same leg with which he started the jump.
Quadruple Salchow
Some skaters learn this jump first because it doesn’t require them to tap into the ice for the launch. As with the toe loop, Malinin uses the momentum from the natural rotation that he starts on the ice to complete four revolutions in the air. He starts on an inside backward edge and allows this curve to continue on the ice, using the momentum that builds up to lift the free leg and then his body into the air, turn four times, and land on that same free leg.
Quadruple Loop
This jump is more difficult because Malinin takes off and lands on the same leg, without the assistance of picking off the ice. The momentum for the entire jump is generated by the glide of the outside edge, which Malinin maintains with a deep knee bend that serves as the spring for launching into the air and landing back on the same leg, on the same blade edge.
Quadruple Flip
This jump is a variation of the toe loop but requires Malinin to change his takeoff and landing legs. Instead of starting on a forward inside edge, Malinin starts with a forward outside edge, then switches to a backward inside edge, reaches back with his free leg to tap the ice and push himself into the air to turn four times before landing on that same free leg that he used to pop himself off the ice.
Quadruple Lutz
Most viewers can recognize this jump because some skaters use a long lead-in, often gliding nearly the entire length of the rink, to generate the power they need. It’s similar to the flip jump, but instead of using the momentum from the backward inside edge, which matches the direction of rotation, for the lutz, Malinin has to take off from the outside edge, so once in the air, he must rotate his body in the opposite direction from the edge he traces on the ice. He doesn’t generally rely on that long glide before getting on that outside edge to prep for the jump, using his toe pick to, pull himself up in the air to turn four times before landing on the same leg he used to pick off the ice.
Quadruple Axel
The Mount Olympus of figure-skating jumps, this one earns the most points because it takes off with the skater moving forward on an outside edge, and the forward glide is more challenging since it’s harder to shift the body weight immediately into the jump. This jump also involves an extra half rotation in the air since Malinin starts the jump gliding forward, then turns four and a half times in the air before landing backward on the opposite foot. Malinin is the only skater who has ever landed this jump in competition, which he first did in 2022.
Bonus jump: Backflip
Backflips don’t earn any points in competitive skating, and until 2024 were banned, but Malinin includes them occasionally in his programs as “a little spice I like to add in my competitions,” he says. He does it mostly to entertain the crowd, and for an additional wow factor, instead of throwing himself backward off the ice and landing on two legs, he’ll land on one.
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