By Lori Ewing and Agnieszka Flak
MILAN, Feb 3 (Reuters) - American Ilia Malinin has raised the tantalising prospect of debuting a quintuple jump at the Milano Cortina Olympics, in what would be a seismic breakthrough in the sport.
The 21-year-old had previously said he would wait until after the Games to unveil the five-revolution jump amid chatter he has successfully landed them in training, but on Tuesday teased that the unprecedented element could arrive "here."
Asked if we might see a quint at the
Milano Ice Skating Arena, he played coy.
"Maybe, maybe not," Malinin said.
Pressed on whether he is ready to land one in competition, he repeated: "Maybe, maybe not. We'll see. I'm thinking about it. Thinking not doing it, or doing it. I keep you guys on your toes."
When asked again for a hint, Malinin deflected with a grin: “I give too many hints sometimes.”
But he did offer one clear admission.
"Physically, I’m ready. If the time is right, you might see it," he said.
The double world champion is already known for barrier-breaking jumps, becoming the first skater to cram seven quadruples into a single programme, including that once near-mythical quadruple Axel - which actually involves 4-1/2 rotations.
He is the first skater to land a quad Axel in competition and recently dropped a video clip on social media of executing back-to-back quad Axels that sent figure skating fans into a frenzy.
Thirty-eight years after Canadian Kurt Browning was hailed for becoming the first skater to land a quad jump, Malinin was asked whether he now feels a responsibility to innovate.
"It's not really a responsibility. It's more a passion for the sport, and being able to put everything out there to show how I am as a person, and express myself through my technical abilities or my artistic values," he said.
"I always tell people that figure skating is an extension of your personality. And I think that everyone should have that in their skating, and I think that's what can make skating so beautiful and so special."
Malinin, who spent part of Tuesday morning chatting with Team USA's honorary coach - rapper Snoop Dogg, also spoke about training under the guidance of his parents Tatiana Malinina and Roman Skorniakov, both former Olympic skaters for Uzbekistan.
While some athletes struggle navigating the line between parent and coach, he said the balance comes naturally.
"From what I’ve heard some people have trouble separating the parent time from the coach time, but I honestly don't have trouble with that," he said.
"For example, when you're at the rink, we can talk about things as a family, what we're gonna have for dinner or what we're gonna do tomorrow that's not skating, or when we come home, it's like, 'Oh, what's our plan for tomorrow?'
"So I feel like it's really comfortable for me that way. And honestly, I'm so grateful for my parents. They've been there supporting me, and they're there every single day for me, and without them, I wouldn't be here."
If the quad revolution defined the last generation of men’s skating, a quint would represent an entirely new era, resetting the boundaries of what the human body can generate in rotational force and airtime.
If Malinin were to attempt — and land — the jump on sport's biggest stage at the Games, it would instantly become one of figure skating's defining moments.
(Reporting by Lori Ewing, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
