Students from C.W. Harris Elementary School in D.C. spent an unforgettable afternoon Thursday with Olympic gold medalist Ilia Malinin.
During an event at the Fort Dupont Ice Arena in Southeast D.C., the figure skater, nicknamed the “Quad God,” spent time with each of the kids. He also shared advice, answered questions, shook hands and took pictures with them.
Malinin told WTOP he loves doing events like these, because it “keeps my fire going.”
“This is really my home,” Malinin, a Virginia native, said. “Everything I’ve ever wanted in my life. It’s all here in the Virginia and D.C. area.”
One of the students asked him about falling during the men’s free skate in Milan. He went on to help the U.S. team win the gold.
“You learn a lot more from losing than you do winning,” Malinin said.
Malinin also told the kids to try new things.
“Right now, my plan is to go for fashion design and photography,” he said. Malinin is a student at George Mason University.
Long term, Malinin dreams of becoming an actor, model, and someone who “motivates people all over the world.”
During the Comcast- and the District Department of Parks and Recreation-sponsored event, Malinin took selfies with staff members, making them — and the students — laugh as he explained his favorite part of his first Olympics was seeing Snoop Dogg wearing a shirt with his image.
“That was insane,” Malinin said. “I did not expect to see my idol wearing a shirt of me. That’s like the most mind-boggling thing to happen to me this year.
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