Ilia Malinin: “Strangely enough, I was very nervous before going out on the ice – that doesn’t happen to me often. I had to rely on muscle memory and experience.”
Ilia Malinin Wins Grand Prix France Amid Challenges
original source: Sports by Maya Bagriantseva
Ilia Malinin reflects on overcoming challenges to compete at the Grand Prix France, reveals his thoughts on potential quintuple jumps, and shares insights on his costume, mental strategies, and plans for future competitions. Here’s a translation of his comments.
“I didn’t know until the last moment whether I would come to France or if I would have to skip the entire Grand Prix series to focus on my recovery. But I have an amazing coaching team, and the U.S. team has excellent physicians who travel to competitions, so everything fell into place, and in the end, nothing prevented me from competing. However, the past few weeks have been tough.”
Despite these challenges, Malinin delivered a confident and successful performance. “My skate today was solid and respectable, and I’m happy with how everything came together. Strangely enough, I was very nervous before going out on the ice – that doesn’t happen to me often. I had to rely on muscle memory and experience. I wasn’t focused on setting records or chasing scores; my priority was simply to skate the program cleanly without mistakes. For upcoming competitions, I plan to gradually increase the level of difficulty in my content.”
When asked about rumors that he is training quintuple jumps, Malinin teased, “Let’s keep that as a surprise for everyone. But I have some ideas about showing them after the Olympics. For now, I don’t want to take unnecessary risks.”
Malinin also shared his enthusiasm for his free skate costume. “I really love my free skate costume. It was created by the legendary Japanese designer Satomi Ito. When she showed me the initial sketches, I fell in love with them immediately. The costume embodies both power and wisdom, and when I perform in it, I feel like I’ve seen and experienced a lot.”
On the topic of mental preparation, Malinin revealed a more lighthearted approach. “Do I rely on a psychologist? Every day – but my psychologists are my cats. They help me tremendously,” he said with a smile.
Related topics: Grand Prix de France, Ilia Malinin
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