MILAN — Ilia Malinin, the American figure skater widely considered a gold medal favorite, is grappling with the emotional fallout of a stunning eighth-place finish at the 2026 Winter Olympics. The 22-year-old skater revealed that a flood of “thoughts and memories” overwhelmed him moments before taking the ice for his free skate performance on Friday, contributing to a routine marred by two falls.
Malinin’s unexpected struggles came as a shock to many, especially after he dominated competition leading up to the Games. He entered the free skate portion of the men’s singles event with a lead from the short program, but a series of errors during his routine ultimately dashed his hopes for a podium finish.
“I just had so many thoughts and memories flood right before I got into my starting pose and almost, I think, it maybe overwhelmed me a little bit,” Malinin told NBC Washington after the competition. “I’ve been through a lot in my life, a lot of bad and good experiences. So, I just feel like it’s the pressure of especially being that Olympic gold medal hopeful. It was just something I can’t control now.”
The skater emphasized the unique pressure of competing on the Olympic stage. “The pressure of the Olympics, it’s really something different, and I think not a lot of people understand that. They only understand that from the inside and going into this competition, especially today, I felt really confident, really good,” he said. “But it really just went by so fast I did not have time to process.”
During his free skate, Malinin stumbled on multiple jumps, including a quad Lutz and another shortly after. He scored a 156.33, a significant drop from his personal best of 238.24 in the free skate and well below his overall best of 333.81. The performance resulted in a total score of 264.49, leaving him far from the medal contenders.
Mikhail Shaidorov of Kazakhstan claimed the gold medal with a total score of 291.58, setting a personal best. Yuma Kagiyama of Japan secured the silver, and his teammate, Shun Sato, took the bronze.
Despite the disappointment, Malinin finds some solace in the fact that he contributed to the U.S. Team’s gold medal win earlier in the week. He acknowledged the support he’s received and is focusing on processing the events of Friday’s competition.
Malinin’s struggles sparked widespread reaction on social media, with fans expressing disappointment and support. The skater briefly postponed a scheduled media session on Saturday, according to Christine Brennan.
Looking back, Malinin reflected on his journey to the Olympics, suggesting that he might have performed differently had he been selected for the Games four years prior. He was 17 at the time and not chosen for the team.
