By Elvira Pollina
MILAN, Feb 4 (Reuters) - Two-times world figure skating champion Ilia Malinin will compete at the Milano Cortina Olympics as the favourite for the men's gold, but the American is already gaining notoriety away from the rink.
Practising at the Olympic training rink on the outskirts of Milan ahead of the Games, the 21‑year‑old reflected on how his recognition has grown well beyond figure skating's usual audience.
He recounted that while shopping for video game equipment at an electronics
store in the United States, a customer stopped him after recognising him.
"'You're that figure skater! I should watch figure skating!'" the person told him, he recalled.
"I'm like, 'wow, that's honestly mind‑blowing to me how much of an impact I have,'" he said with a smile.
The growing recognition - from sports fans and newcomers alike - is arriving just as he prepares for the biggest stage of his career.
Malinin also highlighted the impact of being trained by his parents, Tatyana Malinina and Roman Skornayakov, who competed at the Olympics for Uzbekistan and have coached him throughout his career.
He described the dynamics as both supportive and demanding.
"I'd say it's easier because they're almost 24/7 and they really get to look after you and also they know what you eat, they know how you sleep, they know how you're feeling and they really can go through all of those understandings to adjust how you practice or how they train you," he said.
However, he added that being coached by parents also comes with expectations and a push to do better, and that his mother would not be present at the Olympics.
"She stayed home," he said, adding she would not join him even after the competition.
"She's not going to come... Yeah, that's for both of us."
(Reporting by Elvira PollinaEditing by Christian Radnedge)
