In Thursday’s practice, Ilia landed the move – which you can see for yourself below.
The men’s free skate takes place Men’s free skate between 1pm and 5.10 pm ET.
The athlete is the first and only to successfully land the quad axel in competition, earning himself the nickname ‘Quad God.’
He landed the complex rotation in September 2022 at the CS US International Figure Skating Classic when he was only 18 years old.
Ilia has pulled it off multiple times since, including at the 2025 Grand Prix Final.
The quad axel has been attempted by other athletes, too, including Japanese skater Yuzuru Hanyu at the 2021 Japanese Championships.
However the double Olympic champion couldn’t quite pull it off, under-rotating and landing on two feet, as Forbes reports.
He tried once again during the 2022 Olympic Games, but once again didn’t succeed. Hanyu retired later that year, having won two Olympic gold medals and seven world medals – but without being able to pull of the move.
So if Ilia lands it cleanly on Friday, it could cement his status as one of the sport’s most daring and technically gifted skaters ever.
No pressure, then!
The Olympic Committee has issued a response after athletes from both the US and Israel were booed at the 2026 Winter Olympics opening ceremony on Friday (February 6).
