VA SJR218

Virginia General Assembly commends Ilia Roman Malinin of Vienna, a George Mason University student and competitive figure skater, for winning a gold medal in the mixed team event at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy

Malinin became the first skater to successfully land a quadruple axel in international competition in September 2022, earning him the nickname "QuadGod"

His performance on February 8, 2026, included a one-skate backflip landing and a score of 200.03, propelling Team USA past Japan into the lead for their second consecutive gold medal in the mixed team event

Malinin won World Junior Championships gold in April 2022, then achieved the fastest junior-to-senior world champion turnaround in 26 years with gold medals in 2024 and 2025

Resolution directs the Clerk of the Senate to prepare a copy for presentation to Malinin