Rafael Arutyunyan and Ari Zakarian behind Ilia Malinin’s Olympic triumph

At the 2026 Olympics, American skater Ilia Malinin has already secured a gold medal in the team event and currently leads after the short program in the men’s singles competition.

Two Armenians played a direct role in his preparation and program development: renowned coach Rafael Arutyunyan, who is also the head coach of Team USA, and producer Ari Zakarian.

Zakarian is Malinin’s agent and plays a major role in developing figure skating both in the United States and Armenia. He is also part of Armenia’s delegation at the 2026 Olympics and is involved in promoting the pair Karina Akopova/Nikita Rakhmanin.