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U.S. men’s figure skater Ilia Malinin revealed his mind became flooded with “thoughts and memories” before his performance in the men’s free skate final at the Winter Olympics Friday.
Malinin, a top contender to win gold for the U.S., surprisingly fell twice during his routine. He fell all the way to eighth place and missed out on the podium.
“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. I’ve been through a lot in my life, a lot of bad and good experiences,” Malinin told reporters after the competition.
“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.”
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Ilia Malinin of the United States competes during the men’s free skate program in figure skating at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, Feb. 13, 2026. (Ashley Landis/AP Photo)
Malinin emphasized the impact of the “pressure of the Olympics” in his first ever Olympic games.
“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.”
Malinin took solace in knowing he will return to the U.S. with the team gold medal he helped contribute to earlier in the week as he tries to mentally process what happened on Friday.
“I think that’s definitely a positive for me. And it honestly maybe gives me thoughts that I need to understand why that happened in the individual event. I think going into this competition I made sure that I was able to prepare myself for at least four programs or four performances,” Malinin said.
“So, honestly, I haven’t had time to fully understand what went on.”
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Ilia Malinin of the United States reacts after competing in the men’s singles skating at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at Milano Ice Skating Arena in Milan, Italy, Feb. 13, 2026. (Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
Malinin dominated the short program earlier this week, entering the day leading by more than five points with a score of 108.16.
But his final performance was his worst.
When his routine started Friday, Malinin connected on a quad-flip to start but then settled for a single axel. He then had a double loop instead of a quad loop.
He then fell on a quad Lutz attempt and then fell on another jump shortly after. He scored a 156.33, a far cry from the world record of 238.24 he set in December and the 200-mark he routinely hits in the free skate.
Mikhail Shaidorov of Kazakhstan won the gold with a total score of 291.58, a personal best. His 198.94 score in Friday’s free skate was also the highest of his career.
Yuma Kagiyama of Japan got the silver, and Shun Sato, Kagiyama’s teammate, came away with the bronze.
Malinin, who posts total scores in the 300s regularly, settled for just 264.49. His personal best is 333.81.
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Ilia Malinin of the United States reacts after competing in men’s singles skating at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at Milano Ice Skating Arena in Milan, Italy, Feb. 13, 2026. (Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
Malinin congratulated his Kazakhstani competitor right after the event concluded.
While on the bench, Malinin said if he had been in Beijing four years ago, he would not have skated as poorly as he did. Malinin was 17 when he was left off the roster in favor of veterans. That was a tell-tale sign of a mental battle, which Malinin confirmed almost immediately after he left the ice.
Malinin’s finish sparked widespread disappointment among Team USA and ice skating fans in general across social media.
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