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Team USA’s figure skating sensation, Ilia Malinin, recently shared a heartwarming interaction with Tara Lipinski’s daughter, capturing the attention of fans and fellow athletes alike.
On February 17, Tara Lipinski, 43, posted an endearing snapshot on Instagram, showcasing a sweet moment between Malinin, 21, and her 2-year-old daughter, Georgie. In the photograph, Malinin is seen smiling brightly as he places his gold medal, awarded for his performance in the figure skating team event, around young Georgie’s neck. He then gently lifted her onto his lap, creating a tender scene.
Lipinski expressed her delight in the caption, writing, “This moment 🥺. You can tell Ilia is a great big brother; he was just so sweet with Georgie. 🥇.” Malinin, who is the elder sibling to 10-year-old Elli Beatrice, is the son of former Olympian figure skaters Tatiana Malinina and Roman Skorniakov.
The Instagram post quickly garnered admiration from the figure skating community and beyond. Ice dancer Madison Chock responded with an emoji-filled comment, “🥹🥹🥹,” while Lisa Rinna, who previously competed with Lipinski on the show The Traitors Season 4, remarked, “Cutest!❤️.” Enthusiastic fans chimed in as well, with one noting, “Eeeek!!! So so special.”
Meanwhile, Ilia Malinin continues to receive support from his teammates and supporters after an unexpected eighth-place finish in the men’s singles competition. Post-performance, Malinin shared his surprise with NBC Sports on February 13, saying, “I was not expecting that. I felt so ready getting on that ice.” Despite the setback, Malinin’s dedication and talent remain widely recognized.
After taking home gold for Team USA, Malinin also competed in the men’s single short program and free skate. He was predicted to win an individual gold medal, as he’s been undefeated for two consecutive years, but he came in eighth place on Friday, February 13, after falling twice on the ice. Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Shaidorov won the gold medal and Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama and Shun Sato took home silver and bronze, respectively.
Following his performance, Malinin told NBC that he “blew it.”
“That’s honestly the first thing that came into my mind — there’s no way that just happened,” he shared. “I was preparing the whole season. I felt so confident with my program. To go out and have that happen … there’s no words, honestly.”
Malinin, a.k.a. the “Quad God,” told Today on Tuesday that the pressure going into the Olympics was “not a pleasant feeling.”
“The most honest way to say it is just a lot on you, so many eyes, so much attention not only from people, or fans, media, it’s just so much and it really can get to you if you’re not ready to fully embrace it,” he explained.
“I think that might be one of the mistakes I made going into that free skate,” Malinin added. “I was not ready to handle that to a full extent, so I think looking back at that, now I’ll be able to kind of understand how that feels so I’ll be able to take a full approach leading up to the next games hopefully.”
Team USA figure skater Ilia Malinin is one of the biggest names at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina — but he’s set out to prove that, despite his incredible talent on the ice, he’s not so different from the fans watching at home. “Everyone sees me at competitions and I’m just so focused, […]
Malinin also revealed that he’s received “so much love” and “support” from fans and other athletes, including Tom Brady and Simone Biles.
Biles, who withdrew from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics after experiencing the twisties, told NBC on Tuesday, “I’ve definitely had a chance to bump into him. I’ve sent him messages on Instagram as well, obviously, it’s all been private because I know what he’s going through and I know most athletes might not be able to relate, and it’s really, really hard to watch.”
Biles added, “I see him coming out on top after this. We’re all just cheering for him.”