where does ilia malinin train

Ilia Malinin is currently training primarily at Great Park Ice & FivePoint Arena in Irvine, California, where he has been working again with coach Rafael Arutyunyan as of late 2025.
Quick Scoop: Where Ilia Malinin Trains
- Main training base: Great Park Ice & FivePoint Arena, Irvine, California.
- Coaching setup: Indications from fan reports and skating circles suggest he is âmost likely back to training with Raf,â referring to Rafael Arutyunyan, who has coached him alongside his parents.
- Environment: Great Park Ice is a large, public training center used by many elite figure skaters; itâs not a private rink attached to his home but a full-service arena with figure skating and hockey programs.
While fans sometimes share sightings and practice anecdotes online, his detailed dayâtoâday schedule is not public, both for privacy and security reasons.
Forum and âTrending Topicâ Angle
Recent forum and social media chatter in late 2025 and early 2026 has focused on:
- Confirmed sightings in Irvine
- Posts share photos and reports of Malinin on the ice at Great Park Ice in December 2025, reinforcing that this is his current main training hub.
- âHome rinkâ vs. public rink debate
- Some fans loosely call it his âhome rink,â which led to confusion about whether it is private.
- Skating fans have clarified that this is a regular public facility with published freestyle sessions, not a private residence rink.
- Respecting boundaries
- Community members frequently advise against showing up just to watch his practices, viewing that as intrusive, even if the rink itself is public.
A Bit of Context and Storytelling
Earlier in his career, Malinin trained in Northern Virginia at places like Restonâs SkateQuest, where his parents coached and where the rink gradually shifted from âafterâschool hangoutâ to serious training ground.
As his career escalated and he began working more with topâlevel technical coaches like Arutyunyan, Southern Californiaâespecially Irvineâs Great Park Iceâbecame a key base, fitting the pattern of many elite skaters relocating to larger training centers.
You can think of it like a young prodigy moving from a neighborhood gym to a nationalâlevel training center: the same sport, but a bigger stage, more ice, and more specialists around.
Quick FAQ
Q: Can I go watch Ilia Malinin practice at his rink?
- Technically, Great Park Ice is a public facility with open and freestyle sessions.
- However, skating fans strongly discourage turning up specifically to watch his private practices, citing privacy and security concerns for him and other skaters.
Q: Has his training base changed recently?
- As of December 2025, reports of him training in Irvine and âback with Rafâ suggest that Great Park Ice is his current primary base heading into the 2026 Olympic season.
TL;DR: Ilia Malinin trains mainly at Great Park Ice & FivePoint Arena in Irvine, California, working again with Rafael Arutyunyan, and fans urge respecting his privacy even though the rink itself is public.
Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.