If you watched the 2026 Winter Olympics and found yourself completely unable to look away from a certain 21-year-old American figure skater, hi, same. This week we're diving into Part 1 of a two-part deep dive on Ilia Malinin, also known to the world as the Quad God, and I have a lot of feelings and opinions.

We start at the beginning: how he grabbed my attention at the Olympics and wouldn't let go. Then we get into something I apparently feel very strongly about — the completely unhinged take that Ilia Malinin isn't artistic. I will die on this hill. If you've seen I'm Not a Vampire you know exactly what I'm talking about, and if you haven't, please go watch it immediately and then come back and apologize to him.

We also get into who he actually is off the ice; his background, his lineage, how Russian is his first language and what that tells you about where he comes from. His style, both on and off the ice, because this young man is a bold dresser and I respect it deeply. How emotionally vulnerable and expressive he is, and why that makes him such a genuinely great example for young men right now. The artistic risks he takes. The unapologetic way he just is exactly who he is at all times.

And obviously. The cats. The quad cats. The gift that keeps on giving. We could not skip the cats.

Then we get into the accomplishments, because the hype is real and earned. What he's actually attempting technically, how hard he's pushing the sport of figure skating, and just how insane the Olympic media spotlight was on this kid going in. He's talked about it himself recently and honestly it puts a lot in perspective.

This one ends on a high note, but next week, Part 2, we talk about what happened when the inevitable didn't happen. And why that ended up meaning even more to me than the gold medal story ever could have.