Ilia Malinin’s Parents Are Also Olympic Figure Skaters—His Mom’s Grandma Sold Her Wedding Ring So She Could Buy Her 1st Skates
Jason Pham
Olympic figure skater Ilia Malinin secured one of Team USA’s first gold medals at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, when she performed a history-making backflip on the ice. But he isn’t the first Olympian in his bloodline.
Ilia—also known as the “Quad God”—is the son of Tatiana Malinina and Roman Skorniakov, his mother and father, who also serve as his coaches. Both Tatiana and Roman were also Olympic figure skaters, who represented Uzbekistan at previous Olympics. Along with Ilia, Roman and Tatiana also share a daughter named Elli “Liza” Beatrice, who also competes as a junior figure skater. Ilia was born in Fairfax, Virginia.
Ahead of the 2026 Olympics, Tatiana and Roman, who coach for SkateQuest in Reston, Virginia, won Best Coach Award at the ISU Figure Skating Awards in March 2025. “We didn’t expect this. There were so many nominees on the long list and we got into the final,” Tatiana said at the awards ceremony. “It was a big surprise for us to win. All coaches are working hard and they are all great. To win among all those great coaches is an even bigger victory for us.” Learn more about Ilia’s parents below.
Who’s Ilia Malinin’s mom Tatiana?
Tatiana started figure skating at 6 years old, according to Golden Skate. She was the first figure skater from Uzbekistan to win an international title, taking home two Grand Prix championship wins, as well as 10 other titles for the country. She placed eighth at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan. She attempted to compete at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah, but was forced to withdraw due to illness. She’s also a graduate of the Siberian Academy of Physical Culture.
In an interview on USA Today’s “Milan Magic” podcast in 2026, Ilia revealed that his great grandmother sold her wedding ring to buy his mother’s first ice skates.“A lot of the times my parents tell me that I should always be grateful for everything, because, of course, knowing them, their story, they grew up in a very hard life,” he said. He continued, “My mom’s grandmother, she had to sell her wedding ring to get my mom her first pair of skates, and that just made my heart melt, because I’m looking at myself now and I’m like, I’m so spoiled, I should be extremely grateful for everything I have — but I’m so grateful for my parents, because without them, I would not be where I am today.”
Ilia also told reporters at the 2026 Winter Olympics why he took a masculine version of his mother’s last name instead of his father’s. “Nobody knew how to pronounce my dad’s last name,” he said. “So that’s why we went with my mom’s last name.”
Who’s Ilia Malinin’s dad Roman Skorniakov?
Roman started figure skating at 4 years old and also graduated fromthe Siberian Academy of Physical Culture, like Tatiana. Also like his wife, Roman also competed at both the 1998 and 2002 Winter Olympics, where he finished in 19th place each time. Both Tatiana and Roman were coached by Russian figure skating coach Igot Ksenofontov until his death in 1999. After which, they coached each other.
Roman and Tatiana married in 2002. Two years before their wedding, they moved to Dale City, Virginia, just half an hour from where Ilia grew up in Fairfax. “I like America very much. It was difficult to come to America, but easy to stay,” Tatiana told Golden Skate. “I used to train six days a week, twice a day for an hour and a half, but during the season I don’t train as much.”
Around the time of their move, Tatiana and Roman started coaching younger figure skaters as they transitioned out of their careers. “I love coaching. It’s even more fun than skating for me now,” Tatiana said. Both Tatiana and Roman retired in 2002, two years before they welcomed Ilia in 2004. The couple currently coach with SkateQuest in Reston, Virginia.
