19-year-old makes figure skating history in viral ‘Succession’ theme routine

26 March 2024, 15:16 | Updated: 26 March 2024, 15:36

American skating prodigy Ilia Malinin, nicknamed the ‘quad god’, has set a new world record with a mind-blowing routine to the music from ‘Succession’.

From the moment HBO’s hit series Succession arrived on screens in 2018, its catchy theme tune cemented its place firmly in the public consciousness.

Nicholas Britell’s Emmy Award-winning music is an artful blend of classical and hip-hop influences, the perfect theme for a dysfunctional family empire, and also for a world-class skating routine.

19-year-old American ice skating prodigy, Ilia Malinin, took to the ice at the 2024 World Figure Skating Championships with an extended arrangement of the Succession theme, and made sporting history with his breathtaking routine.

Not only did Malinin take home the world title in the free-skate programme, he set a new world record for the highest points scored, and landed a historic jump that no other skater has executed in competition before.

Read more: Succession soundtrack: Here’s why the HBO show’s theme tune is stuck in your head

Ilia MALININ (USA) | Free Skating | Montréal 2024 | #WorldFigure

Dubbing himself the ‘Quad God’ on social media, Malinin became the first ever skater to land a quadruple axel jump in competition in October 2022.

A little over a year later, he executed the jump again at the world championships in the free skating programme, rocketing up the leaderboard from third to first place with his electrifying routine to Succession.

He paired his quadruple axel with five further quadruple jumps, in a performance that sparked rapturous applause from the stadium audience and ecstatic cheers from the commentators.

Read more: Remembering Torvill and Dean’s timeless ‘Boléro’ figure-skating routine at the 1984 Winter Olympics

As the Succession theme emerged from a long introduction, the audience began to clap along, which Malinin later said spurred him on in his performance.

“This... is... off-the-scale brilliance,” one of the commentators remarked. “A rockstar worthy performance!”

Malinin completed the routine with the ‘raspberry twist’, a move that has become his signature, and a final impressive spin before collapsing to the ice in triumphant relief.