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Ilia Malinin Melts Hearts With Unique Olympic Gold Celebration

Team USA figure skater Ilia Malinin is drawing attention with this Olympics celebration.
Grant Young|
Ilia Malinin of the United States of America
Ilia Malinin of the United States of America | Amber Searls-Imagn Images

One of the breakout stars in these Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games has been Team USA men's figure skater Ilia Malinin, who is perhaps better known for his "Quad God" nickname.

Malinin helped Team USA secure a gold medal in the figure skating team event. He overcame a slight stumble early on to score 200.03 (largely on five quadruple jumps, which he has become known for) and break the overall team tie with Japan to give Team USA its second straight gold in the event.

Ilia Malinin of the United States of America
Ilia Malinin of the United States of America | Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

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The 21-year-old two-time world champion is now focusing on the men’s singles competition, as the event finals are taking place on February 13.

However, regardless of whether he captures a second gold medal, Malinin will still be walking away from Italy as an Olympic champion.

Ilia Malinin of the United States of America
Ilia Malinin of the United States of America | Amber Searls-Imagn Images

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Ilia Malinin's Olympic Gold Celebration With Cat Mysti Turns Heads

While there isn't a ton known about Malinin's personal life, one thing that many fans adore him for is his cats. He adopted two cats, named Miu Miu and Mysti, right before the Olympics began.

And shortly after securing gold, Malinin posted a photo of Mysti wearing a (fake) gold medal with the caption, "Thank you for all the support especially this special supporter, Mysti ❤️".

The @NBCSports X account posted a screenshot of this with the caption, "Ilia’s cat wearing a gold medal is content we LOVE. 🐈‍⬛🥇".

RELATED: Tiny Tara Lipinski Pops Out of Johnny Weir’s Jacket Before Ilia Malinin Olympic Skate

If Malinin wins his second gold (or any other medal) in the men’s singles competition on Friday, perhaps another photo of Mysti and Miu Miu wearing medals will find its way onto his social media accounts.

Ilia Malinin of the United States of America
Ilia Malinin of the United States of America | James Lang-Imagn Images

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers the Athlete Lifestyle, Women’s Basketball, the New York Mets, the Baltimore Orioles, the Chicago Cubs, and boxing for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years.

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