Meet US Olympic figure skater Ilia Malinin’s parents

A family of Olympic legends.

US Olympic figure skater Ilia Malinin’s parents, Tatiana Malinina and Roman Skorniakov, are former athletes of the sport, having both competed at the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics and 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics.

Now, the couple is cheering on their son as he goes for the gold medal in the men’s singles free skating event at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics on Friday.

The 21-year-old known as the Quad God qualified for the event thanks to his near-flawless short program performance, where he scored a 108.16 after executing a quad flip and a quad lutz.

Malinin already won Team USA a gold medal at the figure skating team event on Feb. 8.

“It went exactly the way I wanted, the way I planned. And you know, I’m so thankful for that,” Malinin said after the skating event.

Malinin’s mom and dad have been huge inspirations in his Olympic career.

In fact, they’ve even coached him in his journey to Milano Cortina 2026.

Keep scrolling to meet Malinin’s parents.

Where are Ilia Malinin’s parents from?

Malinina, 53, and Skorniakov, 49, are both from Russia.

Malinin’s mother was born in Novosibirsk, Russia, in 1973. Her mom was a gymnast and her dad was a figure skater. When she was a teenager, Malinina and her family moved to Uzbekistan.

Malinin’s father was born in Sverdlovsk in 1976. He was raised there and initially skated for Russia, before switching to represent Uzbekistan.

Who are Ilia Malinin’s parents?

Ilia Malinin’s mom, Tatiana Malinina

Malinina skated for Uzbekistan at the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics in Japan, where she placed eighth.

She qualified for the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics Winter Olympics but withdrew after the short program due to the flu.

Malinina also competed in ten consecutive World Championships for Uzbekistan. She was the first Four Continents champion in 1999 and was the 1991 Grand Prix Final champion.

In addition, Malinina won two bronze medals at two Grand Prix events, the 2000 Sparkassen Cup on Ice and the 2000 NHK Trophy.

Ilia Malinin’s dad, Roman Skorniakov

In 1997, Skorniakov won the men’s singles title at the National Championships.

He came in nineteenth place at both the 1998 and 2002 Winter Olympics.

The figure skater also competed at the 2000 ISU Championship 2000 and 2002 Four Continents Championships, placing seventh at both events.

In the later years of their skating careers, Skorniakov and Malinina coached each other after their longtime coach Igor Ksenofontov died.

When did Ilia Malinin’s parents get married?

The couple got married in January 2000 in Virginia, where they moved two years earlier.

According to Malinina’s ISU bio, the pair relocated to Dale City, Va., because Malinina’s “practice conditions in Tashkent deteriorated.”

When did Ilia Malinin’s parents retire from figure skating?

After retiring from skating in 2002, Malinina and Skorniakov transitioned into coaching. They worked at the SkateQuest Skating Club in Reston, Virginia.

In March 2025, the couple won Best Coach Award at the ISU Figure Skating Awards in March.

“We didn’t expect this. There were so many nominees on the long list and we got into the final,” Malinina said at the time. “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.”

How many kids do Ilia Malinin’s parents have?

Malinina and Skorniakov have two children: son Ilia, born Dec. 2, 2004, and daughter Elli, born in 2014.

Malinin took the Russian masculine form of his mother’s last name because his parents were worried that Skorniakov was too hard to pronounce.

Despite becoming their son’s coach, Malinina and Skorniakov initially didn’t want Malinin to follow in their career footsteps.

“They did not want me to skate at all. They wanted me to do something else, ’cause they know,” Malinin told CBS News in a recent interview. “They went through all those years of hard work, dedication, commitment to get to where they were, two-time Olympians. And now they coach skating. So, they were like, ‘Oh, we don’t want another skater in our family.’”

“But here I am,” Malinin added. “Me and my sister skate now. So it’s like, okay!”

Malinin revealed in the same interview that his mother won’t be at the Olympics and doesn’t go to his competitions because she’s too worried to watch him.

While speaking to NBC Sports in 2022, one of Malinin’s coaches, Rafael Arutunian, explained how the athlete’s parents approach coaching differently.

“His father is more calm, and his mother is more motivated,” Arutunian said. “Ilia is super motivated.”

Malinin, for his part, said that having his parents as coaches “helps a lot mentally.”

“They understand me a lot more and know if I have a bad practice, it might just be me having a bad day,” he explained.