Unfortunately for United States figure skater Ilia Malinin, his performance in the free skate of the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics will be remembered as one of the most shocking meltdowns in the history of the sport.
After turning in an awe-inspiring routine in the short program, Malinin headed into the free skate in first place. At that point, the 21-year-old was poised to win his first individual gold medal in the Winter Games.
Malinin, however, crumbled under the pressure. He failed to step up when the lights were the brightest, resulting in an unexpected eighth-place finish. Malinin himself admitted after his program that he let his nerves get the better of him.
© Amber Searls-Imagn Images
Malinin is now out for some redemption at the World Figure Skating Championships in Prague, Czech Republic. This is the “Quad God’s” first competition since the Winter Games, and he is determined to make things right.
Malinin was back to his best in the short program on Thursday. He landed his trademark quadruple flip, a triple Axel and an impressive quad Lutz-triple toe loop combination, to name a few. This led to a personal best score of 111.29 points for Malinin, who is currently in first place heading into the free skate on Saturday.
The American star, however, made an honest admission after his incredible performance. Malinin is the two-time defending champion and is going for a third this year. He admitted, though, that the title is not his top priority.
"I had no expectations coming into the event," he said. "I simply wanted to go. Honestly, defending the title doesn’t mean so much.
“I think I've finally realized that over the last few years, I’ve done so much for this sport, and now it’s truly my time to go my own way, just be myself, and do whatever I want."
Malinin said that he let all the negative thoughts consume him right before he took the ice in the free skate at the Olympics. He made sure not to make the same mistake again on Thursday.
The three-peat might not be the most important thing for Malinin right now, but this is where he is headed if he keeps his composure. Malinin is currently 9.44 points clear of France’s Adam Siao Him Fa, who is in second.
At this point, the championship is Malinin’s to lose.
