USA TODAY Sports has officially debuted a new video podcast that will be the cornerstone for coverage of the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Games in Italy.
The video podcast, or vodcast, called ‘Milan Magic’ is hosted by veteran USA TODAY Sports columnist Christine Brennan and Olympic gold medal champion figure skater Brian Boitano as they provide in-depth analysis through extensive coverage, behind-the-scenes reporting and exclusive interviews with athletes.
The duo couldn’t have been a more perfect match for the project.
Boitano is a three-time U.S. Olympian who won gold in men’s singles figure skating at the 1988 Winter Games in Calgary. He outmatched his Canadian rival Brian Orser by making Olympic history, becoming the first person to land eight triple jumps.
Brennan joined USA TODAY as a national sports columnist in 1997. She has covered every Olympic Games since 1984 – both summer and winter games. She’s authored eight books on sports and became a New York Times best-seller with ‘Inside Edge’ which dives into Olympic figure skating.
Their first episode includes an exclusive interview with American figure skating prodigy Ilia Malinin, who goes by ‘Quad God’ on social media.
Milan Magic, Episode One: Meet the ‘Quad God’
Malinin is a two-time World champion, three-time Grand Prix Final champion, seven-time Grand Prix gold medalist, four-time Challenger Series gold medalist, and three-time U.S. national champion.
He’s going into the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Games in Italy with confidence. His sights aren’t set, necessarily, on just winning gold, but rather being in the best condition for the Olympics.
‘I’m really just looking forward to that,’ Malinin said in a USA TODAY Sports ‘Milan Magic’ podcast episode recorded on Dec. 12, 2025.
He added: ‘Especially coming back from that Grand Prix Final win with that seven-quad layout. Now is the time for me to give myself a little cool down so I can kind of regroup and refocus, spend the next few weeks coming up with a strategic plan to prepare myself to have the best condition I can for the Olympics.’
Malinin or the ‘Quad God’ is highly regarded as a favorite in competition, but he doesn’t let the chatter get to his head and inflate the ego.
Although the thought can be good for confidence, he said, instead, his focus continues to be on his preparation and his performance.
‘When I go to competitions, I don’t think about the medals,’ Malinin said. ‘I always think about the performance and think about what I have to do, what my job is as a skater. A lot of the times, I prepare myself very well so that I can go on the ice and deliver to the best of my ability. And of course, if you have a clean skate, I’m assumed that the medals can come with you, as well.’
You can listen to ‘Milan Magic’ on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Watch full episodes on YouTube or on USA TODAY.
Steve Gardner contributed to this story.
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