Ilia Malinin Almost Chose a Different Dream — and for a moment, his Olympian parents thought the ice had lost him

Ilia Malinin Almost Chose a Different Dream — and for a moment, his Olympian parents thought the ice had lost him. Born to Tatiana Malinina and Roman Skorniakov, he grew up surrounded by elite skating but quietly drifted toward soccer, hoping for an easier path. They didn’t push — they knew the bruises, the pressure, the mental toll. But talent like his doesn’t stay hidden. The ice called him back. What began as hesitation turned into history, as the boy who nearly walked away became the “Quad God.” And while arenas roar at every jump, a mother still watches with her heart racing — because even in a dynasty built on blades, greatness always comes with a cost.

Ilia Malinin comes from a family of Olympic skaters, including his parents Tatiana Malinina and Roman Skorniakov.

Though they were both born in Russia, Malinin’s parents competed for Uzbekistan at the 1998 Nagano and 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics, per CBS News. Malinina and Skorniakov later moved to Dale City, Va., where they married in January 2000 and welcomed two children: Malinin and his younger sister, Elli Beatrice.

The self-proclaimed “Quad God” told PEOPLE in January 2026 that he originally had no plans to follow in his parents’ footsteps. It wasn’t until he landed his first quad jump at 13 that his parents realized he was “surprisingly good.”

In 2022, the athlete, who earned his first Olympic gold medal in the team event at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, became the first — and so far, only — person in the world to land the difficult, four-revolution jump in competition.

“I thought I was going to be a soccer player,” he told PEOPLE, “but my parents didn’t have time to take me to soccer lessons — so skating kind of took over.”

Here’s everything to know about Ilia Malinin’s parents, Tatiana Malinina and Roman Skorniakov.

They’re from Russia 

Both Skorniakov and Malinina are from Russia. Malinin’s mother was born in Novosibirsk, the unofficial capital city of Siberia, on Jan. 28, 1973, per her International Skating Union bio. She later chose to represent Uzbekistan after she relocated there as a teen.

Born on Feb. 17, 1976, Skorniakov was raised in Sverdlovsk, a Russian industrial hub, per his ISU bio.

Malinina and Skorniakov were both Olympic figure skaters

Malinin’s parents skated for Uzbekistan in the Olympics twice — once in 1998 and again in 2002.

In addition to her stints at the Games, Malinina became the first Four Continents Champion in history in 1999 and was the first Uzbekistan skater to medal at the ISU Championships and in the ISU Grand Prix. Her father, Valery Malinin, is a former figure skater-turned-coach in Russia who used to bring the “Quad God” to the rink when he babysat him.

Skorniakov also competed for Uzbekistan and won the men’s singles title at the National Championships in 1997, per his ISU bio. After they retired from skating in 2002, they both became coaches, per NBC Sports.

They got married in 2000

In 1998, the couple moved to Virginia because their practice conditions in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, had deteriorated, per their ISU bios. Two years later, they tied the knot in January 2000.

“I like America very much,” Malinina told Golden Skate in March 2002. “It was difficult to come to America, but easy to stay.”

Malinina and Skorniakov have two kids

After Malinina and Skorniakov got married, they welcomed their son, Ilia, on Dec. 2, 2004, in Fairfax, Va., per NBC. According to NBC Sports, the skater decided to take his mother’s last name in the traditional masculine form in Russian because his parents were worried that Skorniakov would be hard to pronounce.

The couple later welcomed their daughter, Elli, who goes by the nickname “Liza.” She’s also taken to the family sport and is a nationally ranked junior skater.

Malinin said his parents didn’t want him to skate “at all”

The Olympic gold medalist started skating when he was 6 years old. But at first, his parents didn’t take his training “seriously.”

Malinina told NBC Sports in March 2022 that they only kept Malinin at the rink after school while they were coaching.

That all changed when Malinin qualified for the 2015 U.S. Championships in the juvenile division. At the time, he was 9 years old and only practicing three days a week.