MILAN — The American figure skating prodigy, Ilia Malinin, came to Italy as the undeniable frontrunner for Olympic gold, representing the most certain bet the sport had witnessed in many decades.
However, such high hopes brought with them a significant burden.
This burden proved sufficient to undermine the skater who, in his teenage years, had adopted the moniker “Quad God.” On Friday evening – with Olympic gymnast Simone Biles, current men’s figure skating champion Nathan Chen, and countless viewers at home observing in utter disbelief – Malinin aborted his renowned quad axel mid-air during his second jump, subsequently falling apart.
For an individual who had performed with such seamless grace and ease over the preceding three years, the immense strain of the moment abruptly overwhelmed him. The timing proved utterly inopportune, as the skater, apparently fated for gold, instead landed in an astonishing eighth position, while Mikhail Shaidorov from Kazakhstan claimed triumph.
“I completely messed up,” Malinin declared directly after departing the ice. “Frankly, that was the initial thought that entered my mind.”
Holding a five-point advantage over the other competitors following Tuesday’s short program, the 21-year-old was the ultimate skater to step onto the ice. After multiple leading athletes clearly struggled with their own anxiety and tumbles, Malinin merely needed to execute what he had accomplished on numerous occasions.
Nevertheless, as he prepared to assume his initial stance, Malinin recounted being inundated by immense apprehension that he was utterly unable to dispel.
“I simply felt as though all the… distressing experiences of my life began surging into my consciousness, and a multitude of detrimental ideas just poured in,” Malinin stated. “And I simply couldn’t manage the situation.”
Malinin, the dual consecutive world champion boasting an unblemished record stretching back to 2023, successfully landed his impressive opening quad flip jump. However, he subsequently fumbled the axel jump. An accomplished quad lutz followed, but then he performed a double instead of an intended quad loop. Malinin soon stumbled during a quad lutz, precluding the execution of the second jump – a triple toe loop – in that combination.
His concluding acrobatic sequence was intended to be a quad salchow-triple axel combination. He stumbled once more.
As his routine concluded, Malinin stood at the center of the ice, gesturing in dismay. He seemed utterly incredulous as he raised his hands to acknowledge the audience. Skating away, he forcefully blew out his cheeks, apparently striving to hold back tears.
Upon the announcement of his long program mark of 156.33 – an astounding 15th position out of 24 in that segment – and when his total of 264.49 disclosed his formerly inconceivable eighth-place final outcome, he rose swiftly. He embraced Shaidorov, the world silver medalist who had surpassed the competition by more than 11 points, and offered his felicitations for securing Olympic gold.
Shaidorov informed journalists that attaining the medal represented his paramount objective and “the reason [he] rises and attends practice [daily].”
As Shaidorov occupied the highest step of the dais, with Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama and Shun Sato positioned alongside him after securing silver and bronze, respectively, Malinin was simultaneously addressing journalists about the cause of his missteps.
“I certainly understood I was adequately trained, but once more, managing that situation is still a significant challenge,” Malinin articulated. “Therefore, I truly am unsure what precisely transpired in that instant for it to occur. All I comprehend is that it fell short of my capabilities… and it was undeniably something I had not anticipated. I cannot reverse or alter it, even though I would eagerly wish to.”
Malinin, who had earlier informed ESPN that he was attempting to regard the Olympics “as any other competition,” had faltered during his first appearance in Milan on Saturday, specifically during the short program of the team event. He made a shaky landing on his triple axel before failing to complete the full rotation on his quad lutz, resulting in what was then an astonishing second place, trailing Kagiyama by over 10 points.
He subsequently stated that this was attributable to unforeseen “Olympic pressure.”
Nevertheless, Malinin recovered for the long program segment of the team event. While he still lacked flawlessness and did not try his quad axel, he effortlessly guided the United States to a gold medal.
When the solo event commenced on Tuesday, it appeared as though he understood the anticipation and how to manage the situation. Malinin forewent his last training period at the arena prior to his short program. He opted to train elsewhere, reaching the venue at a delayed time to allow himself “additional leisure.”
He confessed that he desired a prior training session and simply wished to “recline in bed” for some duration. This tactic, designed to steer clear of the strain and public scrutiny until the contest, proved effective. Malinin executed two quad jumps, though no axel, along with his characteristic backflip and “raspberry twist,” earning a score of 108.16 – an advantage of five points over the other competitors following the short program.
He executed the identical performance on Friday. He articulated a sense of preparedness for his free skate and for the moment he had been aspiring to for years. All day long, Malinin consistently reassured himself that this was the culmination of his diligent preparation, and that he had rehearsed for this “countless instances.” It was, he believed, merely a typical day, a standard contest.
Yet, everything utterly collapsed at the most critical moment. All his meticulous preparation proved fruitless, and he found himself consumed by his own thoughts.
He stated that he only perceived “things were amiss” once the routine concluded.
Notwithstanding his evident dismay, Malinin remained composed when explaining the events, largely maintaining a blank demeanor.
“From this point, it’s simply a matter of reassessing, determining the subsequent course of action, and proceeding from there,” Malinin remarked concerning his short-term outlook.
Andrew Torgashev emerged as the subsequent highest-ranked American, concluding in 12th place with an aggregate mark of 259.06. Maxim Naumov, emotionally cherished by supporters, whose parents tragically perished the previous year in the American Eagle Flight 5342 crash, was also prone to errors in his free skate. Nonetheless, he earned prolonged applause from a significant portion of the audience, ultimately finishing 20th.
This signified the inaugural Olympic participation for all three American men.