why is ilia malinin called the quad god

Ilia Malinin is called the “Quad God” because he has pushed quadruple jumps in figure skating farther than anyone else, especially by landing the ultra‑difficult quad Axel in competition and stacking multiple different quads into a single program.

Origin of the “Quad God” nickname

• The nickname comes from his exceptional mastery of quadruple jumps (four full rotations in the air), which are the hardest standard jumps in men’s figure skating.

• He branded himself with the moniker early, using “quadg0d” as a social media handle and even putting it on merch like hats, leaning into his reputation as the sport’s premier quad jumper.

• Media coverage quickly picked it up as he started breaking records, so “Quad God” became the default way commentators and fans referred to him.

“Quad God” is basically shorthand for “the guy who can do the craziest quads we’ve ever seen on competitive ice.”

What makes his quads special?

• He was the first skater ever to land a clean quad Axel (4.5 rotations) in competition, which had long been considered almost impossible.

• He has successfully landed all six types of quadruple jumps in a single program — something no one else has done — including quad Axel, toe loop, Salchow, loop, Lutz, and flip.

• His programs are built around very high technical difficulty: long strings of quads, huge height, and fast rotation that make his jumps look like they bend the normal limits of what skaters can do.

A simple way to picture it: if you think of figure skating jumps like “difficulty levels” in a game, Malinin is the player clearing all the highest‑level challenges back‑to‑back, which is why fans and media treat “Quad God” as more earned than just hype.

How the nickname fits his current status

• Since landing the quad Axel and expanding his quad repertoire, he has won back‑to‑back World Championships and multiple major titles, cementing the idea that he’s not just a jumper but the dominant technical skater of his era.

• Coverage leading into the 2026 Winter Olympics routinely uses “Quad God” as a hook, presenting him as the skater who’s redefining what’s possible and as a favorite for gold because of his quad arsenal.

TL;DR

He’s called the “Quad God” because he:

1. Landed the first quad Axel in competition.

2. Landed all six quad types in one program.

3. Built a persona and social handle around that identity, which fans and media embraced as he kept smashing technical barriers.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.