Being Russian and representing Team USA at the  Winter Olympics? Impossible… at least on paper. But for “The Great Eight” Alex Ovechkin, it might be possible in a surprising, symbolic way. Through two time reigning world champion Ilia Malinin, who is Team USA’s hope for Olympic gold, Ovechkin’s presence is on the ice. But how?

After Malinin arrived in Italy for his Olympic debut at, fans caught glimpses of him at the practice rink. On February 2, he practiced a number of double, triple and quadruple jumps, including a clean quad Axel, looking every bit the rising star.

His outfit was simple but sharp: a black long-sleeve, form-fitting top, slim black skating pants, and black gloves. But what really stood out were his black skates with bright yellow laces,

Fans quickly observed and commented on X: “Those yellow laces look like Ovechkin’s!” and “is Malinin wearing Alex Ovechkin’s style?”

It was just speculation at first but after the practice, when Malinin spoke to the media, he revealed that the laces had actually been gifted by Alex Ovechkin. Interestingly, Malinin plans to wear them throughout the Olympics.

The Washington Capitals star has worn yellow laces on his skates for years – it’s his signature look, something that stands out on the ice and has inspired younger players. Now, that style has found its way to the Winter Olympics, on the skates of one of America’s biggest gold medal hopefuls.

But why would an American athlete wear a Russian hockey legend’s laces? The answer lies in Malinin’s roots.

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His parents, Roman Skorniakov and Tatiana Malinina, were Russian-born figure skaters who later represented Uzbekistan. Even his grandfather still lives in Russia and coaches in Novosibirsk. Malinin is also a fluent Russian speaker.

Not to mention, his signature move, the Raspberry Twist, is an indirect reference to his mother’s surname (he was given its masculine version per Russian naming conventions) – Malinina means raspberry in Russian.And with a combination of talent and experience, Ilia Malinin is one of Team USA’s best bets to win gold.

Why Ilia Malinin is Team USA’s top hope for Winter Olympics Gold

Ilia Malinin is widely regarded as Team USA’s top medal hope in figure skating at the 2026 Winter Olympics. At just 21, he has already pushed the limits of what’s possible on the ice, achieving feats no other skater has.

Most notably, he became the first skater ever to land a quadruple Axel in competition, considered the hardest jump in the sport, requiring four and a half rotations in the air. Malinin has landed the jump 12 times in competition, falling only once.

Malinin isn’t just about one historic jump, he has continued to raise the technical bar, regularly landing multiple quadruple jumps in a single program. In recent competitions, he has landed up to seven quadruple jumps, including the quad Axel, a level of difficulty few thought possible.

This mastery of the “quad” has earned him the nickname “Quad God”, and makes him the heavy favorite for Olympic gold.

He is also a two-time consecutive World Figure Skating Champion (2024 & 2025), three-time Grand Prix Final champion (2023, 2024, 2025), seven-time Grand Prix gold medalist, four-time Challenger Series gold medalist, and four-time U.S. national champion (2023–26).

With the Winter Olympics just four days away, all eyes are on Ilia Malinin, ready to make Team USA proud with a touch of Russian luck on his side.