Ilia Malinin entered the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina as one of the most heavily hyped athletes in men’s figure skating. Widely known as the “Quad God”, the 21-year-old shockingly fell twice and finished eighth during the February 13 final, missing the podium entirely.
The disappointment became even more personal when a hot-mic moment captured him reflecting on how the result might have been different if he had experienced the Olympics earlier in his career.
Olympic pressure proved overwhelming as Ilia Malinin struggled in the free skate final
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On Friday night, Malinin’s free skate was expected to be a showcase of technical dominance. After a strong short program placed him in a prime position for a medal, the American needed only a clean or even average performance to secure his place on the podium.
However, the routine unraveled quickly.
He opened with confidence, landing a quad flip, but struggled immediately after when attempting his trademark quad axel.
The quad axel is known to be the sport’s most difficult jump and one that only he has landed in competition.
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As he was forced to simplify the move, Malinin appeared unsettled, and mistakes began to pile up.
Two falls and several downgraded elements left the crowd visibly stunned as the favorite’s medal chances slipped away.
Following the disappointment, Malinin did not hide his frustration. He admitted to NBC, “I blew it.”
He explained that the issue was not physical conditioning but mental pressure. He also shared that the Olympics felt entirely different from any competition he had faced before.
Ilia Malinin expressed disappointment in a hot-mic remark
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Malinin was caught on a hot mic expressing regret about not competing at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, where he had missed selection despite finishing second at the U.S. Championships.
“Beijing, I would not have skated like that,” he said, according to USA Today.
The statement quickly spread across social media and fueled discussion about whether experience was the missing factor in the Milan competition.
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Later addressing the moment, Malinin clarified that he wasn’t blaming past decisions but reflecting on what Olympic familiarity might have given him mentally.
“I felt really good this whole day, going really solid, and I just thought that I all I needed to do was go out there and trust the process that I’ve always been doing with every competition.”
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“But of course, it’s not like any other competition, it’s the Olympics,” he said.
He had previously credited the 2022 disappointment as motivation that helped transform him into the sport’s most technically ambitious skater.
“If it wasn’t for that decision, I don’t think I’d be here, I wouldn’t be landing a quad axel or trying to revolutionize the sport.”
The internet blamed mental pressure, ice conditions, and expectations as reasons behind Malinin’s performance
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The unexpected result triggered widespread reactions from fans, many of whom shifted focus away from the score and toward the human side of elite sport.
Several commentators praised Malinin’s resilience and reminded viewers that even dominant athletes struggle under Olympic pressure.
“He handled what must have been a crushing moment with grace and dignity,” one viewer wrote, while another added, “Leave him alone. He is not a toy. He is a human with feelings.”
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Others questioned whether conditions inside the arena contributed to the struggles, pointing out that multiple skaters fell during the event.
“So many falls by him and others. What was the state of the ice?” one comment read, while another added, “The speed skaters were all falling and were complaining that the ice was too soft.”
“The rink they used was not properly maintained, and caused the skaters to fall. Someone wasn’t doing their job!” added a third.
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Malinin himself briefly acknowledged that something felt “off,” though he declined to blame external factors, saying all competitors faced the same environment.
“Honestly, still, I’m trying to understand what happened, specifically,” he told The Post.
“I think something felt off. I don’t know what it was specifically. I’m still trying to understand what that was.”
Despite the heartbreak, Malinin’s behavior and sportsmanship remarks earned widespread praise
@nbcphiladelphia Hear from Ilia Malinin after he finished 8th in the men’s figure skating competition. #nbc10philly #olympics ♬ original sound – nbcphiladelphia
Shortly after leaving the ice, he approached unexpected gold medalist Mikhail Shaidorov of Kazakhstan to offer congratulations.
“I admired the way he complimented the winner just after defeat,” one supporter commented, calling the interaction an example of true sportsmanship.
Reflecting on the experience, Malinin shared he hopes to use the lessons from Milan moving forward.
“I should take the stuff I learned from here and use it… for this not to happen again,” he explained.
“Champions overcome obstacles they are not crushed by them,” wrote one netizen
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