In 2011, a young Ilia Malinin was playing every sport that he could get his hands on. From basketball to football, there’s nothing he hasn’t tried. Then came figure skating, and he had to beg to try it despite his parents being Olympic athletes in it. Fifteen years on, Ilia Malinin is battle-weary and tired, especially after watching his Olympic dreams falter. While he did win a third consecutive world title amid questions about next season, Malinin has given an honest answer about his career.

After all, Ilia Malinin himself doesn’t know what his plans are for next season. However, the one thing that he does know is that he wants a breather from figure skating.

“I don’t know, honestly, I don’t want to put that out there,” Malinin told Olympics.com. “I kind of want a break from skating for a little bit. These last four years have been really tough leading up to the Olympics. So I think I want to be able to take some time off, whether that be half a season or… It’s really depending on how I feel.”

That does make sense given the way Ilia Malinin’s season has gone. Touted to be America’s biggest Olympic hope going into the 2026 Winter Olympics, the pressure unfortunately got to the 21-year-old. He faltered, made mistakes during his individual routine, and finished eighth, well outside the medal positions.

At Worlds, Malinin rediscovered himself, producing an incredible program for his third consecutive title. It puts him in the upper echelons of American figure skaters with only a select few ahead of him. Yet, the pressure and the immense energy he put towards the Olympics have likely left him exhausted. That has almost always been the case for figure skaters, with Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama going through the same thing.

Malinin isn’t the first one, either, as Alysa Liu famously took a long two-year hiatus from the sport after the 2022 Olympics. She returned with a new lease on life, something that Malinin is likely hoping for. Although fans will probably hope that his timeline sees him return sooner rather than later, he’s taking it one thing at a time.

“I think it’s better right now to say I will feel it out because I’m still not really sure. … I’m taking it one step at a time,” he added.

This is not the first time he has touched upon his plans for next season. Even now, the American appears to be keeping his options open while he figures out what comes next.

Ilia Malinin opens up on his programs for next season

There has been no break at all for Ilia Malinin for a few years now. The 21-year-old has participated in nearly every possible event or grand prix since 2021. That includes five consecutive world and US championships, four Grand Prix Finals, and multiple Grand Prix events. In fact, the American hasn’t even had a break, which makes sense given that he was pushing for the Olympics.

However, now that the Olympics are over and the next cycle is upon the skaters, it offers the 21-year-old a chance to take a breather. And that is something he touched upon in an earlier interview. In it, when asked about his potential programs for next season, Malinin hinted at a break.

“I have not, because I am still not sure what I want to do next season,” Malinin told The New York Post. “I will have to see how I feel after Stars on Ice. So I’m still taking things one step at a time.”

After all, when he’s on point and in the zone, there’s nothing else he thinks about. That’s thanks to his mindset and Ilia Malinin’s family’s figure-skating legacy, which has shown him a path forward. That’s something the three-time world champion attested to.

“It’s more about finding things I can work on,” he added. “That might not always be technical elements- it could also be improving my skating skills, improving my spins, finding new ways to be more creative, and finding new concepts and programs.

“I always come from a mindset of wanting to improve more and more, and that’s how it helps me push my limits every time, just to keep one-upping myself.”

For now, though, it seems Ilia Malinin is less concerned about medals and more focused on rediscovering the balance that carried him to the top. Whether that means a short break or a full season away, he appears determined to return on his own terms.