Figure Skater Ilia Malinin Recognized By Fairfax County Board

FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA — Chairman Jeff McKay's daughter isn't always interested in all of her father's work on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. But when she heard "Quadg0d" Ilia Malinin would be at Tuesday's board meeting, McKay said "she was very jealous and asked if she could take the morning off."

Malinin, a figure skating champion and Marshall High School senior from Vienna, was recognized by the Board of Supervisors Tuesday. Providence District Supervisor Dalia Palchik presented a resolution to honor Malinin for his national and international ice skating accomplishments.

According to the board's resolution, Malinin began figure skating in 2010 under the guidance of his Olympic skater parents, who both competed for Uzbekistan. He started competing in 2015 and has won championships along the way.

The figure skater, who brands himself as the "Quadg0d," took the spotlight by becoming the first and only in history to complete a quadruple Axel at the U.S. International Classic in fall 2022. In January, Malinin was the men's national winner in the U.S. Figure Skating Championships.

"This means so much to me," Malinin said about the recognition. "I've put so much work and effort into trying to get where I am, and I'm just really happy for my parents that they put through all this time and effort to wake me up in the morning and take me this day, and they're just the best."

His father, Roman Skorniakov, attended Tuesday's board meeting to praise Malinin for his motivation to push boundaries as well as teachers for their support.

"I want to say thank you to the school and the teachers because they've been very supportive and standing and tried to help him with any work," said Skorniakov. "He missed lots of school days. So teachers were very supportive."

Supervisors congratulated Malinin for the results of his hard work and his family's support.

"I personally have just been so impressed, not just by your performance, but by your thoughtfulness, the way you reflect on your performance and are always striving to do even better," Palchik told Malinin at Tuesday's meeting.

McKay noted Malinin is a "sensation" among high school kids in Fairfax County.

"The amount of pride that we had in Fairfax County that one of our own, is on a national and international stage the way you are makes us all so proud as a community and so proud of what you're achieving in school as well," said McKay. "I think when you when you watch the tapes of what he's doing, we forget that Ilya is a high school student in Fairfax County Public Schools."