Cat lovers melt! Ilia Malinin, U.S. figure skater, gives his first Olympic gold medal to his beloved black cat, 'Mysti,' after winning gold at the 2026 Olympics.
14 February 2026 – Cat lovers worldwide melted when Ilia Malinin, the U.S. national figure skating star nicknamed “Quad God,” posted a celebratory photo after winning his first Olympic gold medal at the 2026 Winter Olympics, presenting the prestigious award to his beloved black cat “Mysti.”
After the 21-year-old Ilia Malinin made history performing a backflip on ice and helped Team USA narrowly defeat Japan to win the team gold on 8 February, he shared a warm moment on his personal Instagram.
In the photo, “Mysti,” one of the two cats he keeps (the other white cat is named Miu Miu), sits regally with the Olympic gold medal draped around her neck, accompanied by a heartfelt caption:
“Thank you all for the support, especially this special supporter... Mysti ❤️”
Malinin revealed that the two cats were gifts from his mother after his second world championship win and that they are the “behind-the-scenes reason” helping him stay calm and manage immense pressure during world-class training and competitions.
Malinin remains the top favorite to win gold in the men's singles event on the night of 13 February (local time). Fans joked that “Mysti” might be the highest-ranked cat in the world right now and eagerly await to see if, after the singles competition, Malinin will bring home a second gold medal to share with the other cat, “Miu Miu!”