“ILIA MALININ BREAKS THE INTERNET: 21-Year-Old Olympic Figure Skater Pulls Off INSANE Quad Axel and ‘Raspberry Twist’ in Times Square — Nearly 1 Million Views and Fans Say They Forgot He Was Human!”!The internet is in total disbelief after 21-year-old Olympic figure skating sensation Ilia Malinin unleashed one of the most mind-bending moves ever seen on ice. Performing in the middle of the iconic Times Square, Malinin executed a breathtaking quad axel followed by his jaw-dropping “raspberry twist,” a gravity-defying somersault that looks almost impossible for the human body to pull off.

Ilia Malinin may be pushing figure skating to a place the sport has never seen before.

The 21-year-old American star recently stunned fans after a video of him landing a quad axel and performing his wild “raspberry twist” somersault in Times Square went viral, pulling close to one million views and sparking a flood of comments from viewers who joked that they forgot he was even human.

Nicknamed the “Quad God,” Malinin has already changed the conversation in the sport since he became the first skater to land the quad axel (four and a half rotations in the air) in competition in September 2022 in Lake Placid.

Watch the clip below

The historic jump pushed the physical limits of what many experts believed was possible on ice. According to sports scientists, the speed and height needed to attempt a five-revolution jump (five full spins in the air before landing) may simply be beyond human capability, meaning Malinin could already be skating at the edge of what the human body can do.

Yet the very talent that makes him extraordinary also highlights a strange challenge for the sport.

Modern programs are judged under strict rules set by the International Skating Union (the global governing body for figure skating), which requires skaters to follow a structured list of standard jumps and elements. That means innovative moves like Malinin’s jaw-dropping “raspberry twist” (a rare somersault-style move rarely seen in competition) don’t necessarily earn extra points, even if they push creativity and difficulty further than anyone else on the ice.

In fact, attempting something outside the traditional scoring system can be risky. If the move fails, it could cost him valuable points without offering much reward when it succeeds. Because of that, Malinin often has to balance innovation with a more predictable routine built around the elements judges score the most.

Still, his impact on figure skating continues to grow as the world watches what he might do next.

The spotlight intensified during the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina, where Malinin entered as one of the biggest stars in the sport. After finishing outside the medals in the men’s individual event, however, the American skater showed a different side of greatness. Instead of focusing on his own disappointment, he immediately embraced and congratulated gold medalist Mikhail Shaidorov (the skater who won the Olympic title) in a moment that quickly spread across social media.

That act of sportsmanship later earned Malinin the 2026 Fair Play Award (an honor recognizing athletes who show integrity, respect, and true Olympic spirit), selected through a public vote after he was shortlisted by the International Fair Play Committee in partnership with the International Olympic Committee.

“Congratulating Mikhail wasn’t about the results,” Malinin said afterward. “It was about the shared journey we take as athletes. Knowing that fans around the world connected with that moment means more to me than any medal.”

IOC President Kirsty Coventry praised the gesture, saying Malinin reminded the world that Olympic excellence is not measured only by podium finishes, but also by the respect athletes show each other in difficult moments.

With record-breaking jumps, viral moments in the heart of New York, and now an international award for sportsmanship, Malinin’s story shows that his influence goes far beyond the scoreboard even as he continues to test how far the limits of figure skating can truly go.