Ilia Malinin had a disappointing 2026 Winter Olympics performance, failing to come up with the gold medal in the men's singles program.
Malinin, the Northern Virginia native favored to win gold at the Winter Olympics, came in eighth place in the men's singles event. It was a highly disappointing showing. He fell multiple times.
"I blew it," Malinin said immediately after leaving the ice. "That's honestly the first thing that came to my mind."
Malinin, a multi-time World Champion, couldn't live up to the moment.
"I definitely knew that I was prepared well enough, but again, it's still a lot to handle that process," Malinin said. "So I honestly don't know what actually happened in the moment for that to happen. All I know is that it wasn't my best ... and it was definitely something I wasn't expecting. I can't go back and change it, even though I would love to."
© James Lang-Imagn Images.
Malinin, despite his Winter Olympics disappointment, remains a fan favorite. He was one of the U.S.'s most popular athletes at the Winter Games. He continues to build a massive following on social media.
The iconic men's figure skater has more than 1.6 million followers on Instagram. Since the Winter Olympics, though, questions have swirled about his relationship status. Is he single? Is he dating anyone?
Malinin confirmed that he is single
The U.S. figure skating star confirmed in an interview that he is single.
Still, questions have swirled. His own Team USA teammate, Amber Glenn, had to go on TikTok to shoot down rumors about their relationship. They are not dating.
“AYO PEOPLE THAT’S NOT ME,” Glenn wrote in the comments section of a video that suggested she was dating Ilia. “IM LITERALLY MID COMPETITION.”
Malinin, meanwhile, has stayed mostly quiet in regards to the rumors, outside of confirming he was single during the Winter Olympics.
Malinin is expected to compete at the World Championships in Prague later this year.