In 2021, famed Russian figure skating coach Alexei Mishin said that no figure skater would ever be able to successfully perform a quad axel in his lifetime. (There are six main types of figure skating jumps, which are named after their creators and distinguished by their takeoffs, whether by blade, edge, or toe.) All of this has left the skating world wondering what might be next for the jumping phenom, and for the sport in general. If you watch old figure skating programs, you might notice that, back in the day, they jumped differently. Malinin and other elite male skaters get about 20 inches off the ground at the peak of their jump.