Figure Skaters at the 2026 Winter Olympics Are Pushing the Limits of What’s Possible
Young skaters are landing jumps once thought impossible as the sport evolves toward even greater technical difficulty
Colorado Springs, Colorado: In 2021, Russian coach Alexei Mishin said no skater would ever do a quad axel. The next year, Yuzuru Hanyu from Japan tried this jump at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing but fell short. The jump needs four-and-a-half spins in the air.
Timothy Goebel, who won bronze in 2002, was the first person to do a quad salchow jump in competition. He was called the “Quad King” because he did many types of quad jumps. By 2016, all quad jumps except the axel had been done in competitions.
Then 17-year-old Ilia Malinin did the quad axel at the 2022 US International Figure Skating Classic. He already called himself “Quad God” online. Malinin didn’t go to the 2022 Olympics but has won the world title twice in the past two seasons. He is expected to win gold at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Many people think Malinin might be the first to do a quint jump, which has five spins. He is called the “Simone Biles of figure skating.” Never shy about trying new things, Malinin has said he wants to land one. Some say it’s too hard and maybe even impossible.
Figure skating has changed a lot over the years. Skaters now spin faster to get more rotations while they are in the air. Top male skaters jump about 20 inches high. All of the top skaters spin at similar speeds. The best skaters can snap into their spin position very quickly. This gives them more time to spin fast before they land.