Daily Voice
By Zak Failla From Daily Voice
Virginia figure skating legend Ilia Malinin has a new accolade to add to his trophy case.
The 21-year-old Fairfax native, a back-to-back World Champion and three-time Grand Prix Final champion, parlayed a record-breaking season on the ice to a spot on Forbes' prestigious "30 Under 30" list for 2026 in the "sports" category.
Forbes noted that Malinin continues to test the boundaries of figure skating during his undefeated 2024-25 season, becoming the first skater to attempt seven quadruple jumps in a single program en route to another championship.
Ilia Malinin on the Ice
He is still the only skater to have landed a fully rotated quadruple Axel, according to the outlet, calling it "the hardest jump in figure skating," in international competition.
The prohibitive gold-medal favorite for the 2026 Olympic Games, Malinin, comes from figure-skating royalty in Virginia.
His parents were both Olympic skaters, and his younger sister also joined the family business. His maternal grandmother, Valery Malinin, also competed for the Soviet Union and is still an active skating coach in Russia.
While breaking out as a multi-time Junior champion, Malinin studied at George C. Marshall High School in Falls Church, and he is currently enrolled at George Mason University.
The complete "30 Under 30" list can be found here.
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