Figure Skating's Impossible Jumps: The 2026 Winter Olympics Quest

In 2021, one of the most respected figures in figure skating—legendary Russian coach Alexei Mishin—made a bold prediction. No figure skater would ever land a quad axel in his lifetime. The jump seemed physically impossible. It required pulling off four and a half rotations in the air, something that defied everything the sport had previously achieved.

Then something remarkable happened. Just one year later, a 17-year-old American named Ilia Malinin did exactly what the experts said couldn't be done. At the US International Figure Skating Classic in 2022, he landed the quad axel cleanly, and the figure skating world collectively gasped.

Now, as the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina approaches, the conversation has shifted again. If Malinin can pull off the quad axel, what comes next? Can he land a quintuple jump—five complete rotations in the air? Is that even physically possible?

This isn't just about one athlete or one spectacular moment. What's happening in figure skating right now represents something bigger: the collision between the limits we think exist and what humans can actually achieve when they train smarter, understand the biomechanics better, and push past conventional thinking.

The question haunting the sport is whether we're watching the beginning of a new era or the peak of what human bodies can do on ice. And the answer might surprise you.

TL; DR

• The Quad Axel Breakthrough: Ilia Malinin landed the quad axel in 2022 after experts declared it impossible, fundamentally changing what skaters attempt.
• The Quintuple Question: Sports scientists debate whether a five-rotation jump is physically achievable, but Malinin's biomechanics suggest it's theoretically possible.
• Technical Evolution: Modern figure skating has evolved from flowery, floaty techniques to efficient, speed-focused rotational jumps that maximize air time.
• The Speed Factor: Malinin's ability to snap into a rotational position faster than any competitor gives him a unique advantage for attempting the quint.
• Training & Physics: The development of the quad axel relied on understanding angular velocity, air time, and the precise mechanics of takeoff and landing.
• What's Next: The 2026 Olympics will be a proving ground for whether next-generation jumps become standard elements or remain one-skater phenomena.

Ilia Malinin performs quad axels at 1,800 degrees/second, the same speed needed for triple axels, suggesting potential for quintuple jumps at slightly higher speeds. Estimated data for quintuple jump.

The Impossible Becomes Real: How the Quad Axel Changed Everything

To understand why Mishin's declaration seemed so definitive, you need to grasp what makes the quad axel different from every other quad jump that had already been landed in competition.

In figure skating, there are six main types of jumps, each named after the skater who first performed it. Kurt Browning landed the first ratified quadruple jump—a quad toe loop—back in 1988. That was the moment the "quad era" officially started. Over the next three decades, figure skaters progressively landed more quad variations. By 2016, skaters had successfully completed all types of quads in official competition.

All except one: the axel.

Here's what makes the axel fundamentally different. A toe loop, salchow, lutz, and flip all involve taking off backwards on one foot and landing backwards on the other foot. These jumps have a natural rhythm that allows skaters to build momentum into the rotation. The axel is the only jump performed facing forward. You launch off one foot while moving forward and land backwards on the opposite foot. That forward takeoff means you're already fighting against your momentum, and adding four and a half rotations to that equation seemed to defy physics.

When Timothy Goebel, the "Quad King" of his era, reflected on the quad axel in 2021, he said something revealing: "I thought I would see a quintuple toe before I would see a quad axel." This wasn't pessimism. It was the honest assessment of someone who'd spent his career pushing the boundaries of what quads could be. If Goebel thought a quintuple—five rotations on a different jump type—was more likely than a quad axel, that tells you how definitively "impossible" the quad axel seemed.

But Malinin proved otherwise. And he did it with a level of control that surprised even experienced judges and coaches. He didn't barely make the jump. He landed it cleanly, with textbook form, making it look almost routine despite it being the first time anyone had ever done it in competition.

What made Malinin's achievement even more significant was what happened next. Instead of the quad axel remaining a once-in-a-generation oddity, other elite skaters started landing it too. The jump that Mishin said wouldn't happen in his lifetime became a technical element that ambitious young skaters began training for within months.

This pattern—one athlete breaks through, then the jump becomes standard—has happened throughout figure skating history. But the speed at which the quad axel moved from "scientifically impossible" to "expected at elite competitions" was remarkable.

Understanding the Physics: Why Height Doesn't Matter, But Rotation Speed Does

Figure skating exists in a strange space between art and physics. Judges score artistic impression and choreography, but they also score technical difficulty and execution. That technical side is governed by biomechanics that feel almost mathematical in their precision.

Here's something that might surprise you: the height elite male figure skaters jump is surprisingly consistent. Top skaters typically achieve about 20 inches of height at the peak of their jump. That's not that different across the board. Malinin isn't jumping significantly higher than his competitors. He's not defying gravity in a visible, obvious way.

So if everyone's jumping roughly the same height, what separates a skater who can land a quad axel from someone who can't? The answer is rotation speed—and more specifically, how quickly they can snap into that rotational position.

Lindsay Slater Hannigan, an assistant professor of physical therapy at University of Illinois Chicago and sports sciences manager for US Figure Skating, has done detailed biomechanical analysis of Malinin's jumping technique. Her findings are striking.

"His quad axel looks like everyone else's triple axel," she says. When Hannigan analyzed the data, she found that Malinin's angular velocities for the quad axel are almost identical to what other elite skaters achieve on a triple axel. But here's the crucial part: because Malinin can snap into the rotational position so much faster than anyone else, he maintains that high angular velocity for longer through the air.

Most skaters who attempt harder jumps need to reach their peak rotational speed quickly or they won't complete the rotations. Malinin, by contrast, gets into the rotation early and maintains it, which gives him extra time to accumulate additional rotations without needing to spin faster.

Think of it like this: imagine two people spinning. One person needs to spin at 100 RPM to complete five full rotations before hitting the ground. Another person can maintain 80 RPM and still complete five rotations because they start spinning earlier and continue spinning smoothly throughout. That's essentially what Malinin is doing, except the numbers are degrees per second and the physics involved are far more complex.

This distinction matters enormously when you're talking about whether a quintuple jump is possible. If Malinin is already performing quad axels without maxing out his rotational velocity, that leaves theoretical room to add more rotation. And that's where the quint conversation begins.

Malinin achieves his quad axel with the same angular velocity as others' triple axels, highlighting his efficiency in rotation speed.

The Technique Revolution: How Figure Skating Jumped Into the Modern Era

If you watch footage of figure skating from the 1970s or 1980s, you'll notice something immediately: skaters moved differently. Their jumps had a particular aesthetic. When approaching a jump, they'd have a "massive delay," as Justin Dillon, chief high-performance officer of US Figure Skating, describes it. They'd rotate on the way down and hold an open position in the air. It created a beautiful, floaty, almost ethereal quality.

It was also very inefficient for modern jumping.

Here's why: when you have a massive delay before jumping and you're open in the air, you're wasting valuable time. The air time available to complete rotations is limited. If you spend half your air time getting into position to rotate, you've lost precious milliseconds where you could be spinning.

The evolution toward modern jumping technique came from recognizing this inefficiency. Modern elite skaters approach jumps with minimal delay and snap into tight, compact rotational positions almost immediately. This efficient technique is optimized for one thing: maximizing the number of rotations that can be completed within the available air time.

This shift didn't happen overnight. It was gradual, with skaters and coaches experimenting, learning from sports science research, and progressively refining technique. But it was absolutely essential to making the quad jumps—and potentially the quintuple—possible.

The technical evolution also involved understanding takeoff mechanics in new ways. The precise angle of the blade, the exact point at which the skater's body transitions from moving forward to rotating, the position of arms and legs—every micro-detail impacts whether a jump is completed or falls short. Modern skaters train with video analysis, force plates, and biomechanical consultants to optimize every aspect of their technique.

This level of scientific understanding would've been unimaginable to skaters from previous generations. But it's become essential to competing at the elite level today.

Ilia Malinin: The Generational Talent Redefining Possible

Malinin didn't arrive on the scene fully formed. He's been skating since childhood, training at the Skating Club of Boston under the coaching of Oleg Epstein. But somewhere in his development, it became clear he was different. Not just better than his peers, but approaching the sport with a different mindset about what could be attempted.

Even before landing the quad axel, Malinin had earned a reputation for technical boldness. He was willing to try jumps that other skaters avoided. He was also willing to risk falling in front of huge audiences if it meant advancing the sport. That combination of talent, fearlessness, and training environment created the conditions for a breakthrough.

When Malinin calls himself the "Quad God"—and make no mistake, he literally branded himself this way on social media before proving he'd earned the title—it wasn't arrogance in a traditional sense. It was confidence backed by training and talent. A willingness to say, "I'm going to do something no one else has done," and then actually do it.

Since landing the quad axel, Malinin has won the World Championships twice. He's ranked as the overwhelming favorite for Olympic gold at Milano Cortina based purely on technical difficulty and execution. But his dominance has also made the sport increasingly focus on one question: what's next?

Malinin has been coy about his intentions regarding the quintuple, but he hasn't denied pursuing it. In an interview with CBS Sunday Morning, he said simply: "I do believe it's possible." That casual confidence from the skater most capable of achieving it carries weight in the sport.

What makes Malinin's position unique is that he doesn't have the same desperation that drives other skaters to attempt new elements. He's already assured of his place in skating history. Attempting—and potentially failing at—a quintuple jump carries some risk to his reputation. Yet he seems genuinely interested in the attempt, perhaps understanding that if anyone can push figure skating forward, it's the skater who's already accomplished what was declared impossible.

The Quint Question: Can Five Rotations Actually Happen?

After Malinin landed the quad axel, sports journalists and analysts started asking whether a quintuple jump was theoretically possible. The Associated Press published a piece asserting that a quint cannot be done, citing unnamed "sports scientists" who claimed the speed and amplitude necessary simply exceeded what human bodies could generate.

But here's the thing: that assessment might be premature.

A true quintuple jump, by definition, requires five complete rotations in the air. That's 1,800 degrees of rotation. The physics of achieving that are complicated, but not impossible. The key variables are air time, angular velocity, and the rate at which a skater can snap into rotation.

George Rossano, a physicist who also happens to be a figure skating judge, has analyzed what a quintuple would require. A true quint means five rotations—1,800 degrees—completed during the jump's arc. But here's where it gets tricky: a skater's maximum air time is physically limited by gravity and the height they can achieve. Typically, elite male skaters have roughly 0.8 to 0.9 seconds of air time for the highest jumps.

If you divide 1,800 degrees by 0.8 seconds, you need to rotate at 2,250 degrees per second to complete five rotations. That's faster than most skaters typically achieve, but Malinin's 1,800 degrees per second on a quad axel suggests he has headroom in his rotational capacity.

However—and this is important—Malinin would need to increase his angular velocity. He wouldn't need to max out at extreme levels, but he'd need to go higher than his comfortable 1,800 degrees per second. Whether he can do that without compromising the technical quality and safety of the jump is the real question.

There's also the matter of how the International Skating Union (ISU) defines and values the quintuple. The jump would need to be officially recognized, which means technical panels would need to agree on what constitutes a legitimate quintuple execution. If a skater performs 4.5 rotations or 5.2 rotations, how is that scored? These technical details matter enormously.

Despite the AP's declaration that a quint is impossible, several coaches, sports scientists, and judges in the figure skating community believe it's achievable—especially with Malinin's particular biomechanical advantages. But it's important to distinguish between "theoretically possible" and "likely to happen soon."

If Malinin attempts and lands a quintuple before the 2026 Olympics, it would rank among the most significant technical breakthroughs in skating history. If he doesn't, that doesn't necessarily mean it's impossible—just that it requires a level of precision, courage, and training that goes beyond even what the quad axel demanded.

A quintuple jump requires a rotational speed of 2,250 degrees per second, significantly higher than the 1,800 degrees per second achieved in a quad axel. Estimated data.

The Training Regimen: How Elite Skaters Prepare for Impossible Jumps

Landing a jump that's never been done before doesn't happen accidentally. It requires an extraordinarily specific training methodology. You can't just keep falling and eventually get lucky. There's science involved.

Elite figure skaters training for new elements work with sports scientists, coaches, choreographers, and sometimes biomechanical consultants. They analyze video frame-by-frame. They train on specialized equipment designed to isolate specific aspects of the jump. They do dry land training—off-ice conditioning that strengthens the exact muscles and develops the exact neuromuscular patterns needed for the jump.

For a jump like the quad axel or quintuple, the training would involve:

Progressive difficulty progression: Skaters don't go from triple axels to quad axels overnight. They work through progressions—building from triple axels with extra rotation, to three-and-a-half axels, to full quads. Each progression teaches the body and brain how to handle higher rotational speed.

Controlled practice environments: New jumps are often first attempted in practice sessions with minimal audience pressure. Video is recorded, analyzed, and studied. Skaters learn from failures in ways that help them adjust technique for the next attempt.

Cross-training and conditioning: Figure skaters do significant off-ice training—weight training, plyometrics, flexibility work. This builds the strength and power necessary to launch properly and control the landing impact.

Mental preparation: Attempting something truly new comes with psychological challenges. Skaters must build confidence, manage fear of falling, and develop the mental resilience to keep trying after setbacks.

Technical refinement: Even after landing a jump in practice, skaters spend months refining it. Making it cleaner. Faster. More consistent. Integrating it into competitive programs where it looks natural rather than desperate.

The level of commitment required is significant. A skater pursuing a quintuple would likely spend months—possibly years—working toward that goal, with no guarantee of success. The training time invested in the quint is training time not spent on other elements or artistic development.

This is why Malinin's statement that he believes the quint is possible carries real weight. It suggests he's genuinely considering dedicating training resources to pursuing it. Whether he actually does before Milano Cortina remains to be seen.

Competition and Risk: Why Attempting New Elements Matters

There's a misconception that skaters pursuing new elements are doing it purely for personal glory or records. But there's actually a scoring incentive built into the modern figure skating system.

When the International Skating Union introduced the Code of Points system (now called the ISU Judging System), they created a scoring structure where technical difficulty directly impacts the base value of an element. A quadruple jump has higher base value than a triple. A quintuple would have higher base value than a quadruple.

But there's a cost to attempting difficult elements: if you fall, you lose points. The ISU system penalizes falls, impacting the overall score significantly. So a skater attempting a quintuple is making a calculated risk. If they land it, they gain enormous points. If they fall, they lose significant points.

This creates a fascinating strategic dynamic. A skater with superior artistic ability and solid execution of medium-difficulty elements might score nearly as well as a skater with higher difficulty but less consistent execution. The math of the scoring system encourages technical advancement, but only when skaters are confident enough to attempt them.

Malinin's approach has been to push technical difficulty while maintaining high execution standards. He attempts jumps that other skaters avoid, but he practices them enough that his fall rate is relatively low. This combination—high difficulty with high consistency—is nearly impossible to beat.

But it also raises the bar for other competitors. If Malinin includes a quintuple in his Olympic program and lands it, other ambitious young skaters will feel pressure to pursue their own next-generation jumps. The competitive escalation will drive the sport forward.

Beyond Malinin: How Other Skaters Are Evolving

While Malinin is the most prominent figure in current figure skating, he's not training in isolation. There are other elite skaters pushing technical boundaries in their own ways.

Yuzuru Hanyu, the two-time Olympic champion from Japan, was himself training the quad axel before Malinin landed it. Though Hanyu attempted it at the 2022 Olympics and didn't fully complete it then, his pursuit of the quad axel demonstrated that the jump was technically feasible and that multiple skaters saw it as an achievable goal.

Other elite male skaters like Jin Boyang and Nathan Chen have consistently pushed the boundaries of what they attempt, landing multiple quadruple jumps and exploring combinations that previous generations wouldn't have attempted.

In women's figure skating, skaters are pursuing quad jumps at an increasing rate. The technical evolution is happening across both disciplines, though men's skating has historically led in terms of rotational complexity.

What's particularly interesting is that this technical advancement is coming from skaters across different countries and coaching philosophies. It's not centralized in one country or one coaching school. The knowledge spreads through international competition, coaching networks, and information sharing. When a new jump is successfully completed, other skaters and coaches observe it, study it, and work toward replicating it.

Estimated data shows that cross-training and progressive difficulty are key focuses in elite skater training regimens, crucial for mastering complex jumps.

The 2026 Olympics: Where the Next Chapter Gets Written

Milano Cortina 2026 is shaping up to be one of the most technically advanced figure skating competitions in Olympic history. Malinin is the overwhelming favorite for men's singles gold, but the question everyone's asking is whether he'll attempt—and land—a quintuple jump during the Games.

There's something poetic about that possibility. The quad axel was accomplished in 2022, outside of Olympic competition. If Malinin brings a quintuple to the Olympic stage, it would create one of those rare, indefinable moments in sports where you're witnessing something that nobody has ever seen before at the highest level of competition.

Often, Olympic firsts come from expected places. A favored athlete extends their dominance in a particular event. But occasionally, something completely unpredictable happens—a breakthrough moment that changes the sport forever.

Malinin attempting a quintuple at the Olympics carries that potential. If he lands it, it becomes one of the defining moments of those Games. If he attempts and falls, it becomes a story about courage and ambition. If he doesn't attempt it at all, it raises questions about why—is he preserving his gold medal status, or has the quint proven genuinely impossible?

The women's competition at Milano Cortina will be equally compelling, with skaters pursuing increasingly difficult technical elements. The pairs and ice dance competitions will also feature advanced technical content. But the spotlight will undoubtedly fall on Malinin and whatever he chooses to attempt.

The Science of Limits: Understanding What's Possible

One of the most interesting aspects of the quad axel discussion is that it illustrated something profound about human limits: they're often not as fixed as we think.

When Mishin declared the quad axel impossible, he wasn't being irrational. He was drawing on decades of experience watching skaters attempt increasingly difficult jumps. He had a informed perspective on human biomechanics and the sport's evolution. But he was also constrained by what had been accomplished within his lifetime.

Malinin came to the jump fresh. He didn't have decades of failed attempts forming his expectations. He trained specifically to land it. And he did.

This pattern has repeated throughout sports. Athletes push limits that experts said were immovable. Often, the breakthrough involves:

Better training methodology: Understanding how to prepare for an extreme demand more effectively than previous athletes had.

Technological advancement: Equipment improvements that make difficult tasks more feasible.

Biomechanical insight: Understanding movement in more precise, scientific ways.

Psychological resilience: Building the confidence and mental toughness to attempt something genuinely risky.

Population scale: With more athletes competing and training, the probability of someone breaking through increases.

For Malinin and the quintuple jump, all of these factors are present. Better training science exists than when the quad axel was first attempted. Understanding of biomechanics is more advanced. Malinin's psychological profile suggests genuine confidence in his abilities. And the global figure skating community provides a large population of athletes experimenting with advanced techniques.

What we're really watching in Malinin's pursuit of the quint is an experiment in whether limits are as fixed as they appear. If he lands it, it suggests that the quintuple was always physically possible—it just took the right combination of talent, training, and circumstance to achieve. If he doesn't, it might suggest genuine physical constraints exist that even generational talents can't overcome.

Either way, the answer will teach us something about human capability.

The Judging System and Technical Recognition

An element of this conversation that doesn't get enough attention is the role of the International Skating Union's technical systems in defining what's possible.

Before a quintuple jump could exist in competition, the ISU would need to officially recognize it. This isn't automatic. The technical committee reviews new elements, determines if they meet certain standards, and decides how to value them in the scoring system.

When the quad axel was first landed, it had to go through this process. Technical officials watched video. They discussed whether what Malinin performed actually constituted a legitimate quad axel or whether he'd somehow achieved something technically different. Once they agreed it was a valid element, they assigned it a base value and the jump became an official part of the sport.

A quintuple jump would follow the same path. If Malinin (or any skater) lands one, the ISU would need to examine video and agree that what was performed genuinely constitutes five complete rotations. This might seem simple, but the technical details matter. A jump that appears to be 4.7 rotations or 5.3 rotations might not be recognized as a true quintuple.

The base value assigned to a quintuple would likely be significantly higher than a quadruple, but not infinitely so. The ISU's scoring system is designed to be balanced—a skater with flawless execution of medium-difficulty elements shouldn't be completely shut out by someone attempting extreme difficulty with lower execution marks.

But if a quintuple enters the rulebook, it creates an incentive for ambitious young skaters to pursue it. The technical arms race in figure skating would accelerate. Within a few years, other skaters would likely land quintuple jumps, and the element would become more common, just like the quad axel has.

Estimated data shows that skaters like Johnny Weir and Yuki Ando focus more on artistry, while Malinin and average competitors balance or emphasize technical skills.

Training Injuries and the Cost of Advancement

There's an aspect of pushing athletic limits that's often glossed over: injury risk.

Attempting jumps that have never been successfully completed before carries real physical danger. You're asking your body to do something it's never done before at high speed. Landing is particularly risky—the impact on joints, especially knees and ankles, can be significant.

Elite figure skaters typically work with sports medicine teams to manage injuries and ensure they're pushing limits safely. But there's no completely safe way to attempt a jump you've never landed before. If Malinin pursues a quintuple seriously, he'll likely sustain some falls, and those falls carry injury risk.

This is an important context for understanding why not every talented skater pursues the most extreme technical elements. It's not just about difficulty—it's about cost-benefit analysis. A skater has limited training time, limited joints and ligaments, and limited windows to compete at the elite level. Dedicating resources to a quintuple pursuit is a strategic choice that comes with genuine physical risks.

For Malinin, with his documented talent for landing incredibly difficult jumps, that calculus might make sense. For most other skaters, safer technical choices might be more prudent.

The Artistry vs. Technical Dilemma

Figure skating exists in an interesting tension. It's simultaneously a sport judged on technical difficulty and execution, and an artistic performance with choreography, music interpretation, and emotional expression.

As the technical difficulty has escalated, there's been ongoing debate about whether too much emphasis on jumps comes at the cost of artistry. A program packed with quad jumps might score well on technical points but feel cramped and focused entirely on jumping.

Some of the most celebrated skaters in history—like Johnny Weir or contemporary artistic skaters—have succeeded despite not pursuing the absolute maximum technical difficulty available. They focused on quality of execution, artistic presentation, and technical elements they could perform excellently.

Malinin, to his credit, has worked to balance these elements. He trains with choreographers who integrate his jumping into a cohesive program. His programs tell stories, have musical phrasing, and aren't just "jumping plus filler."

But the pressure to maintain competitive advantage through technical difficulty is real. If other skaters start landing quintuple jumps, the baseline of expected technical difficulty rises. Skaters who want to compete for medals will need to match that difficulty or have such superior artistic execution that they overcome the gap.

This creates an interesting optimization problem for coaches and skaters. Do you pursue the quintuple and risk falling, or do you develop incredible artistry and hope the judges value it enough? The answer probably involves some of both, but the balance is always being negotiated.

International Dynamics and Coaching Philosophy

Figure skating is a global sport, but coaching philosophy and training approaches vary significantly between countries and schools.

Russian figure skating, particularly coaches connected to the Soviet tradition, emphasizes certain technical and artistic standards. American coaching often emphasizes different elements. Japanese, Canadian, and European coaches each bring their own philosophies.

Malinin's coaching comes from the American tradition, trained under Oleg Epstein at the Skating Club of Boston. This environment has historically emphasized technical advancement and willingness to attempt new elements. The approach seems to be working spectacularly for Malinin, but it's not the only successful coaching philosophy in the sport.

Some of the most accomplished recent skaters trained in very different environments with different emphasis. Hanyu's coaching came from Japanese tradition, emphasizing different technical approaches and artistic values. Yet Hanyu won two Olympic golds and landed the quad axel—different path, similarly impressive results.

The diversity of approaches in figure skating is actually healthy for the sport. It means different countries and coaching schools can advance the sport in different ways. Technical advancement isn't centralized, so progress comes from multiple directions.

For the quintuple question, having multiple coaching schools and countries exploring this jump increases the likelihood that someone, somewhere, will land it. It's not just about Malinin—it's about the global community of elite skaters and coaches all pushing the limits in their own ways.

Estimated data shows that while higher difficulty jumps like the quintuple have greater base values, they also incur higher penalties for falls. This illustrates the risk-reward balance in figure skating.

Looking Forward: What Comes After the Quint?

This might seem premature—we haven't even confirmed that a quintuple jump will be successfully landed in competition. But it's worth considering: what comes after the quint?

If quintuple jumps become standard elements in figure skating, what's the logical next progression? A sextuple—six rotations? The math becomes increasingly difficult. Air time is limited by gravity. Rotational speed needed increases exponentially.

At some point, physical limits genuinely do seem to become immovable. A human being can only jump so high and stay in the air so long. The question is whether that limit is at five rotations, six, or somewhere beyond.

There's also the question of whether progression has to be linear. Maybe instead of more rotations, future breakthroughs involve jumps in new combinations or spins that haven't been attempted. Figure skating's technical rulebook is constantly evolving as athletes and coaches innovate.

What seems certain is that if Malinin lands the quintuple at the 2026 Olympics (or in the next few years), it won't be the end of technical advancement. It will be a new baseline. Younger skaters will grow up knowing that quintuple jumps are possible, and they'll train with that assumption. In a decade, landing a quintuple might be expected of anyone competing for medals at the elite level.

This progressive pushing of limits is what drives athletic advancement across all sports. Figure skating is experiencing it right now in real time.

The Human Element: Why This Matters Beyond Skating

Malinin attempting and potentially landing impossible jumps matters because of what it says about human capability and determination.

There's something inherently inspiring about watching an athlete do something that experts said couldn't be done. It challenges our assumptions about what's possible. It suggests that limits we accept might not be as fixed as we think.

In a broader sense, what Malinin is doing—pushing at the boundaries of human capability in his chosen field—is what drives all progress. Scientists challenge the limits of knowledge. Engineers push what's possible in design and construction. Athletes push what's possible in human performance.

The quad axel seemed impossible. Then Malinin landed it. The quintuple seems impossible. Malinin says he believes it's possible. Whether he's right or wrong, the willingness to attempt it is valuable. It challenges the sport to evolve.

There's also something valuable about watching an athlete fail at genuine challenges. If Malinin attempts a quintuple in competition and falls, that's not a narrative failure. It's a narrative of courage. It's someone trying something genuinely difficult and falling short, then getting back up.

Figure skating, because it's judged and because falls result in lost points, creates an environment where attempting something difficult comes with real cost if you fail. This makes the willingness to attempt genuine breakthroughs even more significant.

The Role of Media and Documentation

One thing that's different about Malinin's era compared to previous eras of figure skating is documentation. His training, his breakthroughs, his attempts are all captured on video, shared on social media, discussed in real time.

When the quad axel was landed, millions of people watched it within days through You Tube, streaming services, and social media. The knowledge spread rapidly. Coaching schools around the world could study the jump and work toward replicating it.

This democratization of information has accelerated the pace of technical advancement. You don't need to be in a specific coaching circle or geographic location to learn from a breakthrough. If Malinin lands a quintuple, the video will be everywhere within hours. Coaches globally will analyze it.

This media environment also creates pressure. Malinin's attempts are public. If he's training for a quintuple and falls repeatedly, people know about it. The psychological weight of attempting something difficult while the world watches is significant.

But it also creates opportunity. Malinin's profile and public presence have made him a global figure. When he lands the quad axel or (potentially) the quintuple, hundreds of millions of people know about it. His breakthroughs reach audiences far beyond traditional figure skating fans.

Conclusion: The 2026 Winter Olympics and Beyond

As the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina approach, the figure skating world is watching Malinin and wondering what he'll do. Will he attempt a quintuple jump in the most watched figure skating competition in four years? Will he land it? Or will he focus on maintaining his technical dominance with jumps he's already mastered?

The answer to these questions will shape the trajectory of figure skating for years to come. If Malinin lands a quintuple, it accelerates the technical arms race in the sport. Within years, quintuple jumps become common. Other skaters train for them. The baseline of expected difficulty rises.

If he attempts and falls, it becomes a story about attempting greatness despite risk. If he doesn't attempt it, questions emerge about whether the quintuple is truly possible or if Malinin's decision reflects genuine doubts about feasibility.

But regardless of what Malinin does with the quintuple specifically, figure skating is in a moment of rapid technical advancement. Younger skaters are growing up in an era where multiple quad jumps are expected, where landing quad combinations is relatively common, and where the possibility of even higher-difficulty jumps seems real.

Malinin has changed what's possible in figure skating. He's done it by combining extraordinary talent with a willingness to attempt things that others avoided. He's done it by training with people who understand biomechanics, by approaching the sport scientifically, and by maintaining the confidence that breakthrough moments are possible.

The quad axel went from impossible (according to one of the sport's greatest coaches) to accomplished in the span of a single year. That's how quickly limits can shift when the right person, with the right preparation, and the right opportunity comes along.

As we head toward Milano Cortina, the figure skating world is waiting to see what limits Malinin will push next. Whether it's the quintuple or some other advancement no one has yet imagined, one thing seems certain: figure skating's limits just keep expanding.

FAQ

What is a quad axel in figure skating?

A quad axel is a figure skating jump consisting of four and a half rotations performed in the air. It differs from other quadruple jumps because the takeoff is forward-facing rather than backward-facing, making it significantly more difficult to execute. Ilia Malinin landed the first successful quad axel in competition in 2022, an accomplishment many experts had previously considered impossible.

How does the scoring system in figure skating work?

Figure skating uses the ISU Judging System, which scores both technical elements and artistic presentation. Each jump has a base value determined by its difficulty level, with higher-difficulty jumps like quadruple jumps earning higher base scores. Judges then award grade-of-execution scores that modify this base value, and separate panels score artistic elements like choreography, music interpretation, and presentation. The total technical and artistic scores determine the final ranking.

What makes Ilia Malinin's rotational technique unique compared to other figure skaters?

Malinin's primary advantage is his ability to snap into a rotational position incredibly quickly after takeoff. This allows him to maintain high angular velocity (rotation speed) throughout his jumps while using less extreme rotational speeds than competitors require. Sports biomechanist analysis shows his quad axels are performed at approximately 1,800 degrees per second—the same speed other elite skaters need for triple axels. This efficiency gives him the potential to add more rotations without needing to increase his overall rotational speed to dangerous levels.

Is a quintuple jump actually possible in figure skating?

While some sports scientists and media outlets have declared a quintuple jump impossible, biomechanical analysis suggests it may be achievable, particularly for an athlete like Malinin with exceptional rotational efficiency. A quintuple would require approximately 1,800 degrees of rotation within the 0.8-0.9 seconds of air time available on an elite-level jump. Malinin has stated he believes a quintuple is possible, though he hasn't officially confirmed attempting one in competition.

How do elite figure skaters train for extremely difficult jumps like the quad axel?

Elite figure skaters pursuing new jumps work with comprehensive training teams including coaches, sports scientists, and biomechanical consultants. They progressively build difficulty from easier variations (like triple axels with extra rotation) toward the full jump. Training includes off-ice conditioning to build necessary strength, video analysis to refine technique, and carefully controlled practice sessions in competitive environments. Skaters typically land jumps successfully in practice many times before attempting them in official competition.

What is angular velocity in figure skating and why does it matter?

Angular velocity is the speed at which a skater rotates in the air, measured in degrees per second. It's crucial because the amount of rotation possible in a jump is limited by how long the skater remains airborne (air time) and how fast they rotate. Most elite male skaters need 1,900 to 2,100 degrees per second to complete quad jumps, but Malinin achieves quad axels at lower speeds because he enters the rotation faster and maintains it more efficiently, allowing additional time for rotation accumulation.

How has figure skating technique evolved to allow quadruple and potentially quintuple jumps?

Modern elite figure skating technique has shifted from the "floaty, ethereal" style of previous decades toward efficient, compact rotational positions that maximize air time for multiple revolutions. Skaters now minimize delay before jumping and snap quickly into tight rotational positions rather than maintaining open positions in the air. This technical evolution, combined with better understanding of biomechanics and improved training methods, has made increasingly difficult jumps feasible.

What would happen if a figure skater landed a quintuple jump?

If a skater successfully landed a quintuple jump in official competition, it would need to be reviewed and officially recognized by the International Skating Union's technical committee. Assuming approval, the jump would be assigned a base value in the ISU's scoring system, likely significantly higher than current quadruple jumps. This would incentivize other elite skaters to pursue quintuple jumps in their training, potentially accelerating technical advancement throughout the sport within the next decade.

Why did experts think the quad axel was impossible before Malinin landed it?

Experts believed the quad axel was impossible based on the forward-facing takeoff mechanics, which seemed to create inherent inefficiencies compared to backward-takeoff quads. The forward momentum appeared to make accumulating four-and-a-half rotations nearly impossible without extreme rotational speeds. However, Malinin's discovery that an athlete could snap into rotation extremely quickly enough to compensate proved these assumptions wrong.

Frequently Asked Questions About Figure Skating Innovation

Figure skating continues to evolve as athletes push boundaries. Here are some additional insights about how the sport is changing and what's next for this incredible discipline.

Key Takeaways

• Ilia Malinin landed the quad axel in 2022 after experts like Alexei Mishin declared it impossible, fundamentally changing what figure skaters attempt in competition.
• Malinin's biomechanical advantage is his ability to snap into rotational position faster than any competitor, allowing him to maintain high rotation speed without needing extreme angular velocities.
• A quintuple jump appears theoretically possible based on current biomechanical understanding, but requires approximately 1,800 degrees of rotation within limited air time available to elite skaters.
• Modern figure skating technique has evolved from flowery, floaty styles toward efficient, compact rotational positions that maximize air time and enable increasingly difficult jumps.
• The 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina will be a critical proving ground for whether Malinin attempts and lands a quintuple jump, which could accelerate technical advancement across the sport.

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