What do you call a figure skater who nails a “Raspberry” twist under the lights of Times Square, or a teen following his mom’s path to skating greatness? Whatever label you pick, Ilia Malinin—the 19-year-old phenom—is undefeated this season, and he’s got his sights set on an even shinier prize: the Grand Prix Final in December. Fresh off his Skate America win, Malinin’s on a no-brakes victory tour, and he’s making waves all the way to the Scotiabank Centre.

With the venue, Malinin shares a deep connection. In 1999, Tatyana Malinin clinched the gold medal in the first Four Continents Championships at Halifax Metro Centre. Notably, Tatyana is Ilia’s mother and the rusty Halifax Centre is now known as the Scotiabank Centre. So emotions had been bound to overwhelm the teenage figure skater when he entered the historical venue to compete in his first Skate Canada International. The stake had already been higher as the win in the contest would send him to the Grand Prix final set in December. So the result could have given birth to a nervy moment, pressing the American teenager at the corner. 

But in reality, nothing followed of such a kind. On October 27, Ilia Malinin grabbed the title of the men’s event at Skate International in Canada. His victory came by overpowering his nearest opponent by 40 points. A thumping victory to the core! However, the gate pass to this contest followed him after his third consecutive Skate America title. How? 

Last Sunday (October 20), Ilia Malinin won the Skate America title with a score of 290.12. The victory in the coveted contest inspired him to travel further and gained him admission into Skate Canada. Outcome? Ilia continued that fiery form this Sunday at Skate Canada, earning his second victory in the ongoing six-event Grand Prix series. As a result, Ilia Malinin qualified for the Grand Prix final, which will be held in Grenoble, France, in December. Wait, that’s not all! Another surprise followed the victory! Malinin’s title this weekend has made him the first man in the past 25 years to win both Skate America and Skate Canada in a single season. And he marked this record at just 19! A genetic superiority acting behind? 

A debate might kick off around Ilia Malinin’s approach, but here’s the thing—he’s not one to follow the usual figure skating script. The first is that the top skaters don’t compete in back-to-back weeks. They usually prefer to spread out their schedules in the Grand Prix calendar. That remains a prominent reason behind the inability to win both Skate America and Skate Canada in a single season. In 1999, Alexei Yagudin set the record by winning both titles in consecutive weeks. Since‌ then, no one came close to the achievement until Ilia Malinin dared last Sunday. 

Throughout that time, the Virginia native remained unbothered by those stereotypes. All he wanted was to earn his ticket for the mega championship as soon as possible. And after the first two stops, Ilia Malinin is on top of the table, breaking the 300-point mark both times. Those feats may give him oxygen in defending his world title in France. However, he has another goal set, apart from that. 

Ilia Malinin is in search of a distinct presence 

On October 27, Ilia Malinin reaped the success, performing to the tune of “I’m Not a Vampire.” The music by Falling in Reverse kept him on the line, and his six jumping aspects got him more than ten points. Meanwhile, he mixed a triple flip-triple axle combination that gained him 16.80 points. The judges could not miss such mix-ups and step sequences. They awarded him with Level 4 designations—something Malinin himself had been looking for. Yet he has not secured his goal. His eyes are set on marking something big. 

In an exclusive interview with Olympics.com, the reigning world champion said, “For the next chapter of my skating… I want to try to find my style of skating.” With that, he also mentioned his utmost trying to settle his feet in the skating world with his own style. But what is the need for it as Malinin already has a score of titles with the mixed-up styles? He explained the reason for working behind his search by disclosing, “Sometimes I don’t really enjoy watching myself in that artistry aspect.” Turns out, Malinin’s on a quest to “find the sweet spot” in his artistry—and his fans are all in for the ride. Here’s hoping he finds that perfect balance before his next big leap!