Figure Skater's Secret: Land Like a Cat - About That Viral Photo Though...

Even if you’re not into sports, you’d have to be keeping well clear of the headlines to have not heard about the 2026 Olympic Games team event gold medalist, two-time World champion, three-time Grand Prix Final champion, seven-time Grand Prix gold medalist, four-time Challenger Series gold medalist, and four-time U.S. national champion American figure skater, Ilia Malinin. Nicknamed the ‘Quad God’ for his unrivalled ability to perform the extremely difficult and dangerous quadruple axel, something no other figure skater has been able to achieve in an international competition – ever – Malinin recently let slip that the secret sauce is to embrace feline energy.

Always Land On Your Feet

Ilia took home a gold in the team figure skating event for Team USA, but despite being the clear favorite heading into the men’s individual event, Malinin missed out on a spot on the podium in the mens program after suffering two falls during his routine. The disappointment has highlighted the immense pressure faced by elite athletes, particularly when carrying the weight of such high expectations. But rather than shy away from this painful aspect of competition, Malinin has used his social media platform to share and reflect, raising awareness about the effects of fame, success, and the inevitable crash that accompany them, on mental health, teasing the release of a video on February 21st that will tackle these issues.

In a recent interview, he told CBS News Correspondent  @jonathanvigliotti that the trick to his success in his sport lies in making it look easy.

“The best way to land is like a cat landing, like really softly, and being able to kind of transfer that weight from all the way spinning up here to kind of make it look like that it’s so easy – so effortlessly.”

When he’s not defying gravity on the ice, Malinin is just like any 21-year-old, enjoying video games, skateboarding, parkour, and art. He is also a self-proclaimed ‘cat dad’ to Mysti and Miu Miu, who joined his family in July 2025. With Malinin’s star shining brighter than ever, photos emerged this week of one of his beloved kitties sporting a gold medal and a heart-melting dedication from the figure skater, with many claiming it was Malinin’s Olympic medal. However, contrary to what some would have you believe, Mysti has not accompanied her human caretaker to Milan, Italy, and the impressive bit of bling around her neck is not from the 2026 Winter Olympics.

There have been many images, outside of the above, that have been seemingly AI-generated and widely credited to Malinin’s Instagram account (@ilia_quadg0d_malinin), including one of Ilia holding a shorthaired black cat wearing his Olympic medal. The above image does seem to have been in his story, but it does not appear on the athlete’s feed. It seems as though a replica medal was given to Mysti to celebrate his win. We can imagine, though, once he arrives home, she may claim it as her own. Despite all of the fake photos surrounding this event, the sentiment is a wholesome and lovable one, and we are certain that Mysti deserves every ounce of recognition headed her way! We hope that this Quad God and his QuadCats will continue to land on their feet.

Feature Image Credit: NBC Sports 

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