This Cat Wearing His Owner's Gold Medal Is The True Winner Of The Olympics — Period
The 2026 Olympic Winter Games took place in Milano Cortina, Italy, and the United States' figure skating team won big. However, quite possibly the biggest MVP of the Olympics, at least for cat-lovers, is the phenomenal Mysti, the gold-medal wearing feline going viral across the web.
Ilia_quadg0d_malinin / Instagram
Mysti is the adorable fur baby of Ilia "Quad God" Malinin, the 21-year-old U.S. figure skater whose historic backflip during one of his routines made him the first to attempt such a feat in decades. Malinin got his nickname "Quad God" from his frequent and impressive jumps, but he just might have a new nickname thanks to Mysti: best cat dad ever. That's because this Olympian gave his cat the sweetest public shout-out.
Malinin shared a picture of his beloved Mysti, looking like she should be a cat supermodel, donning his new gold medal in an Instagram story with the caption, "Thank you all for your support, especially this special supporter, Mysti!" Now, many Olympic supporters have quickly become Mysti fans, sounding off online with comments like, "Way to go," and "Mysti: the Gold Medal Cat!"
Is Mysti an honorary Olympian?
Ilia Malinin will forever be an Olympic gold medalist, but can Mysti share the title? Well, let's dig a bit into Mysti and Ilia's history for a little background. First off, you may be delighted to learn that Mysti has a sibling. It's true, Malinin adopted two sweet ragdoll cats shortly before the 2026 Olympics (Mysti and Miu Miu), he shared in an interview with Vulture. Another super cute fact: the two cats are actually kittens at just around seven months old.
It can't be easy having kittens as an Olympian, especially when you consider the major differences between adopting a kitten and a cat. In fact, Malinin even shared some of his early trials as a cat dad: "[They're] very chaotic at times, and they just run around at midnight while I'm trying to sleep." Yet of all the signs that a cat is happy, this chill feline wearing a gold medal is definitely one. So, if you ask us, Mysti totally deserves to call herself an honorary Olympian!