Ilia Malinin’s Olympic Heartbreak: Quad God Falls Twice, Finishes 8th, Eyes Redemption Ahead
Milano Cortina, Italy – In a stunning upset at the 2026 Winter Olympics, American figure skating sensation Ilia Malinin, dubbed the “Quad God,” crashed out of contention for gold, finishing a shocking eighth place after two falls in the men’s free skate.[1][2]
Malinin entered Friday’s free skate with a commanding five-point lead from the short program, where he dazzled with two quad jumps, his signature backflip, and a “raspberry twist,” scoring 108.16 points.[3] The 21-year-old had been unbeaten for over two years across 14 competitions, including two world championships. Pundits saw gold as his to lose, expecting him to unleash his historic program featuring seven quad jumps.[2]
But as Malinin struck his opening pose as the last skater on the ice, nerves overwhelmed him. “I just felt like all the traumatic moments of my life really just started flooding my head, and there were just so many negative thoughts,” he admitted post-skate.[3] The pressure proved too much.
The Free Skate Meltdown
Malinin’s troubles began early. Instead of his planned quad loop, he executed only a double, disrupting his rhythm.[1] He then fell on a quad lutz, aborting the second half of a high-value quad lutz-triple toe loop combination. His final jumping pass, meant to be a quad salchow-triple axel sequence, devolved into a double salchow – and another fall.[1][4]
These errors cost him dearly: two automatic point deductions for falls, downgraded jumps, and lost combination bonuses left him with 264.49 total points, plummeting from first to eighth.[1][2] Commentators noted his landings were off – back on his heels rather than the precise pillow of his foot – signaling caution turning to rushes.[4]
Kazakhstan’s Historic Gold
Seizing the moment was Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Shaidorov, who delivered a career-best 291.58 points for his nation’s first Winter Olympics gold.[1] Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama claimed silver – his second straight Olympic medal – while teammate Shun Sato took bronze.[1][2] Shaidorov’s victory came amid top skaters grappling with nerves and falls of their own.[3]
Malinin, visibly emotional, graciously congratulated Shaidorov: “You deserve it.”[2] His U.S. teammates Andrew Torgashev and Maxim Naumov, the latter skating amid personal tragedy after his parents’ death in a plane crash, finished 12th and 20th.[2]
Olympic Pressure Mounts on the Quad God
Malinin’s woes weren’t isolated. In the team event short program, he faltered behind Kagiyama by over 10 points due to an under-rotated quad lutz and stepped-out triple axel – his first Olympic ice jitters.[2][3] He rebounded in the team free skate, helping secure U.S. gold by a slim one-point margin over Japan, though skipping his quad axel.[2][3]
For the individual short, Malinin skipped the final arena practice to relax, arriving late – a strategy that worked, landing him atop the leaderboard.[3] Yet, the free skate exposed the “Olympic curse,” as he called it. “Honestly, yeah, I was not expecting that. I felt going into this competition I was so ready… maybe that might have been the reason, is I was too confident.”[1]
Analysts like Johnny Weir and Tara Lipinski dissected the performance: overwhelmed by Olympic rings symbolism, Malinin couldn’t access his training. “The Olympic Games, it is a different type of pressure,” Weir noted, recalling his own shaking legs.[5] Lipinski added the hype as “Quad God” amplified global expectations.[5]
“I told him they should have sent me to Beijing to try to get some Olympic experience four years ago.” – Ilia Malinin[5]
A Journey of Resilience
Malinin’s path to Milano Cortina was storied. The Quad God pioneered jumps like the quad axel in practice and dominated with swagger. But Olympics demanded more: treating it “like any other competition” proved illusory under the spotlight.[3]
Despite the heartbreak, Malinin’s team event contribution – skating both programs over six days – earned gold. U.S. women’s hockey victories offered some consolation amid the men’s shutout.[5]
Looking to the Future
Malinin hinted at 2030: “We’ll see if I can come back.”[5] At 21, with his technical prowess intact, redemption looms. This “stunning” night[5] – ending a streak but not his career – underscores Olympics’ unforgiving nature. The Quad God fell, but his sights remain sky-high.
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