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American figure skater lands first quad axel in competition

France Figure Skating Worlds
Posted at 10:54 AM, Sep 15, 2022
and last updated 2022-09-15 15:17:11-04

Ilia Malinin will go down in the figure skating history books.

On Wednesday night, the 17-year-old became the first person ever to land a quad axel in a competition.

He completed four-and-a-half revolutions before landing the jump cleanly.

"It felt really good," Malinin said.

The axel is considered the most difficult jump in the sport because it requires an extra half revolution because of how the skater takes off.

The jump propelled Malinin to victory in the 2022 U.S. International Figure Skating Classic.

Malinin — who is considered the future of the sport — is the 2022 world junior champion.

He placed second in the men's national championships but was controversially left off the Olympic team for a more seasoned skater.