Alex Ovechkin may not be headed to the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, but he will have a presence, of sorts, through American figure skater Ilia Malinin.
Malinin, the favorite to win gold in the men’s figure skating event, shared that he’ll wear yellow skate laces gifted to him by Ovechkin throughout the Games. The 21-year-old Virginia native revealed the news after his practice skate on Monday, per CBC’s Devin Heroux.
Malinin, who has captured men’s figure skating’s last three world championship titles and last four American titles, is nicknamed the “Quad God” for his quadruple jumps, including the incredibly difficult quad axel, requiring four and a half revolutions in the air. He is the only skater in history to land a quadruple axel in competition.
After first accomplishing the once thought impossible feat at the 2022 US International Classic, Malinin has since repeated it over and over again. At the 2025 Grand Prix Final in Nagoya, Japan, he broke his own world record by landing seven quadruple jumps, including the axel.
While Malinin has previously worn his own yellow and black laces, the ones he received for the Olympics feature a brighter yellow and less black, matching Ovechkin’s signature look for over two decades.
Ovechkin and Malinin were originally connected through Malinin’s agent, Ari Zakarian, a longtime friend of the Capitals captain.
“Yes, they know each other,” Zakarian told FS Gossips in 2023. “We attended a training session with Sasha. I have had a working relationship with Ovechkin long time ago, but we still keep in touch. I know that he follows Ilia and supports him; he even gave him a Washington Capitals jersey. When Malinin was just starting his ascent, I told him about this guy and showed his performances.”
Malinin was also recognized by the Capitals during a game against the Boston Bruins at Capital One Arena on April 15, 2024. He met up with Ovechkin after the Capitals’ 2-0 victory.
Malinin comes from a figure skating family, with both of his parents, Roman Skorniakov and Tatiana Malinina, being former Olympians in their own right. The two Russian-born skaters represented Uzbekistan at the 1998 and 2002 Winter Games.
Olympic figure skating will kick off at the Milano Ice Skating Arena for the team event on February 6-8, with men’s singles held from February 10-13.
