U.S. figure skating phenom Ilia Malinin has turned heads all week in Italy with a dominant 2026 Winter Olympic campaign that could end with double gold for the United States.
The 21-year-old prodigy already helped lead Team USA to a gold medal in the team event and enters Friday’s individual final as the favorite to earn another victory.
Malinin is undefeated over the past two seasons, a two-time world champion and the first skater in history to land seven quadruple jumps in competition.
On top of that, Malinin also performed the first backflip at the Olympics in 50 years. No other skater had done it since 1976, when fellow American Terry Kubicka pulled it off in Innsbruck, Austria.
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Away from competition, the athlete known as the “Quad God” spends time doing everything from drawing to reading and making music, as he told US magazine before the Olympics.
In a new interview with Today’s Craig Melvin, Malinin was asked about his musical tastes and what he enjoys listening to during his time off.
“Honestly, I listen to any kind of music,” Malinin said. “I don’t have a specific taste. It can range from electronic music to metal music to pop, R&B, to lo-fi.”
Melvin followed up by asking if that included 14-time Grammy-winning pop star Taylor Swift.
“No,” Malinin said flatly.
“Hard no on Taylor Swift? Ok, alright," Melvin said.
“I lied,” Malinin conceded. “Some music I don’t like.”
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When asked if there were other artists he avoids, Malinin shook his head, saying, "I don't know, I think that's it," implying that Swift is the only one banned from his playlist.
The reigning four-time U.S. champion will try to join Nathan Chen (2022) and Evan Lysacek (2010) as recent men's Olympic gold medalists for Team USA. The other five men's gold medalists in figure skating are Brian Boitano (1988), Scott Hamilton (1984), David Jenkins (1960), Hayes Allan Jenkins (1956) and Dick Button (1952).
Malinin will skate last in Friday’s free program after earning the top score (108.16) in the short program, with Group 3 and 4 competitors scheduled to start their routines in order at 3 p.m. ET.