The “Quad God” Might Soon Have Competition At Home — As Ilia Malinin’s Younger Sister Elli Beatrice Quietly Rises Through The Ranks And Fans Begin Noticing The Next Talent In The Family

NEED TO KNOW

  • Olympic figure skater Ilia Malinin has a younger sister named Elli Beatrice Malinina
  • Like her brother, she’s also a skater and is nationally ranked in junior competitions
  • Ilia joked that though he “tries” to coach Elli, she doesn’t always listen to him

Ilia Malinin’s sister, Elli Beatrice Malinina, is carving out her own path on the ice.

After welcoming their son in December 2004, retired Uzbekistan Olympic figure skaters Tatiana Malinina and Roman Skorniakov went on to have a daughter. The Russian-born couple, who retired from competition in 2002 and became coaches, didn’t plan for their children to follow in their footsteps. But regular days spent at the rink made it inevitable.

“They went through all those years of hard work, dedication, commitment to get to where they were, two-time Olympians … So, they were like, ‘Oh, we don’t want another skater in our family,’ ” the gold medalist told CBS News in February 2026. “But here I am. Me and my sister skate now. So it’s like, okay!”

Though still early in her figure skating career, Elli — who also goes by the nickname Liza, per NBC Sports — is a nationally ranked junior skater with a bright future on the rink.

Here’s everything to know about Ilia Malinin’s sister, Elli Beatrice Malinina.

 

Elli is from Virginia 

Ilia Malinin with his family in June 2025.
Ilia Malinin with his family in June 2025.Ilia Malinin/Instagram 

Like her brother, Elli was raised in Virginia, per NBC. Her parents relocated to the United States the summer after the 1998 Winter Olympics and got married in 2000.

“I like America very much,” Tatiana told Golden Skate in March 2002. “It was difficult to come to America, but easy to stay.”

Both siblings took their mother’s maiden name, though Ilia’s is in the traditional Russian masculine form. His parents were concerned that his father’s last name — Skorniakov — would be hard for his young schoolmates to pronounce.

 

Her parents are Olympic figure skaters

Roman Skorniakov during his performance at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan ; Tatiana Malinina performs at the Four Continents Championships on February 8, 2001 in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Roman Skorniakov during his performance at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan ; Tatiana Malinina performs at the Four Continents Championships on February 8, 2001 in Salt Lake City, Utah.Tony Marshall/EMPICS via Getty ; GEORGE FREY / AFP via Getty 

Elli and her brother both seem to have inherited their skating talents from their parents. Their mother was a Four Continents Championship winner who competed in two Olympic Games for Uzbekistan before retiring after the 2002 Olympics, after she withdrew with the flu, according to NBC.

Their father also represented the country at the 1998 and 2002 Winter Olympics and retired the same year. Though the couple are from Russia, they skated for Uzbekistan.

 

She’s a nationally ranked junior skater 

Elli Beatrice Malinina competes in the Juvenile Girls Free Skate during the 2026 Eastern Sectional Singles.
Elli Beatrice Malinina competes in the Juvenile Girls Free Skate during the 2026 Eastern Sectional Singles.U.S. Figure Skating/Youtube 

Elli is working her way up to Olympic status as a nationally ranked junior skater. According to Skater-Stats, she’s been in 17 competitions and is a part of the Washington Figure Skating Club.

The Olympic gold medalist told NBC Sports in March 2022 that his younger sister is a much better skater than he was at her age.

 

Ilia joked about trying to coach her

Ilia Malinin during the ISU World Figure Skating Championships on March 27, 2025 in Boston, Massachusetts.
Ilia Malinin during the ISU World Figure Skating Championships on March 27, 2025 in Boston, Massachusetts.Joosep Martinson – International Skating Union/International Skating Union via Getty 

In an April 2025 interview with retired Olympic figure skater Gracie Gold, the history-making figure skater said that he attempts to mentor his sister — who is 10 years his junior — in their shared sport, but she isn’t always receptive.

“I try to [coach her],” Ilia joked, “keyword ‘try.’ ”

He added that he doesn’t think Elli “cares that much” about her older brother’s Quad God status, and that they were working on her double-axel.

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