U.S. and World champion Ilia Malinin is the 2023–24 SKATING magazine Readers’ Choice Award (Michelle Kwan Trophy) winner.
Skating fans from coast to coast rewarded the Virginia native for his magnificent season in an online vote that ran from July 8–15 on the U.S. Figure Skating website. More than 6,300 votes were cast. They voted for the eligible skater or team they believed was most deserving of the honor based on the accomplishments from the past season.
“I want to thank the fans for the huge support that you give me,” Malinin said. “It means a lot that you take the time and effort to come watch me or any other skater in person; just being there means a lot to me and helps me get the motivation and strength I need to continue trying to push myself and my boundaries. If it wasn’t for you, I don’t think I would be here right now. So again, thank so much to all the fans.”
Malinin kicked off his 2023-24 campaign by repeating as the Skate America champion in Allen, Texas. He posted a personal-best overall score of 310.47 points, the fourth-highest score ever in international competition.
The 19-year-old went on to capture a silver medal at Grand Prix de France before taking top honors at the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final. At the Grand Prix Final in Beijing, Malinin became the first skater ever to land a quad Axel in the short program. He landed five quads in his free skate and finished with an overall score of 314.66.
The defending U.S. champion, Malinin dominated the competition at the 2024 Prevagen U.S. Championships in Columbus, Ohio. Leading by 19 points after the short program, Malinin landed an opening quad Axel, the first in U.S. Championships history, en route to an overall score of 294.35, nearly 30 points more than the runner-up.
Malinin wrapped up his season with a record-breaking victory at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2024 in Montreal. Third after the short program, he delivered a free skate with six clean quadruple jumps, including a brilliant opening quad Axel. His free skate score of 227.79 was the most ever earned by a skater in international competition. His feats went viral, trending on Twitter and other social media. New York Magazine posted a clip on Instagram that garnered more than 3 million views. Malinin also appeared on “Good Morning America” and grabbed headlines everywhere from The New Times to Great Britain’s The Guardian.
“I feel honored to have achieved this award because of the amount of effort I put into this past season to get all these accomplishments,” Malinin said. “I’m just so proud of myself for pushing my own limit and my body to skate how I did at all my events.”
Malinin will receive the Michelle Kwan Trophy at the 2025 Prevagen U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas. This award was launched in 1989, with Kristi Yamaguchi being the first honoree.
