Ilia Malinin Gets Candid: Cats, Space, and Neil deGrasse Tyson Chat

The Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 is fast-approaching, but the United States’ figure skater Ilia Malinin currently has his hands full with something else entirely: being a cat dad. In a Q&A with Vulture, the 21-year-old two-time world champion shared that the latest update in his life has been becoming the owner of two cats: Mysti and Miu Miu. “They’re very chaotic at times, and they just run around at midnight while I’m trying to sleep,” he said. “They jump into my room and start running around, jumping on the bed, jumping on things. They’re around six months old.” The mischievous new additions to Malinin’s world have also become a source of envy for the prodigious skater. When asked what he was jealous of in a family member, the Team USA star considered his two-time Olympian parents before landing on his sister. “I’m jealous that my sister gets more attention from the cats than I do.” U.S. Figure Skating announces squad for Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 A glass of chocolate milk before bed Malinin, who is set to make his Olympic debut in the short program and free skating events at the Milano Ice Skating Arena*, also shared some other insights into his life away from his sport. His most enduring fear? Heights. His dream movie and role? Hiccup from How to Train Your Dragon. The mind he would most like to explore? Neil deGrasse Tyson’s. “I’d want to see what goes on in his head," Malinin said of the famous American astrophysicist. "I’ve had an interest for a while in a lot of the space stuff, since maybe sixth grade.” But perhaps one of the more curious revelations was the role of milk in the skater’s diet. After admitting to not being much of a breakfast person, he also ruled out caffeinated and fizzy drinks, preferring instead milk, water, and juice. Before he sleeps, Malinin particularly enjoys a glass of chocolate milk. Whatever his routine may be, the U.S. skater will surely be sticking to it when he begins his Milano Cortian 2026 campaign. *As National Olympic Committees have the exclusive authority for the representation of their respective countries at the Olympic Games, athletes' participation at the Milano Cortina Games depends on their NOC selecting them to represent their delegation at Milano Cortina 2026.