Mechanics of the Quad God’s quadruple axel

Olympic figure skater Ilia Malinin earned the nickname “Quad God” for all his completed quadruple jumps in competition. The New York Times recorded his most difficult quadruple axel with a high-speed camera, breaking down the challenge of spinning four times in the air.

In the past, when a jump had been conquered, it often did not take long for other skaters to master it too. Not so for the quad axel. Aside from Malinin’s successes, it has only been tried in competition by two other skaters. Artur Dmitriev Jr. was the first to attempt the jump in competition, in 2018, but he fell. Japan’s Yuzuru Hanyu attempted the jump at the 2022 Beijing Olympics before retiring, but he did not land it either. It has been more than three years since Malinin’s first quad axel, and no one appears poised to match him.