Ilia Malinin is searching for answers after a shocking eighth-place finish in men’s figure skating at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
After the 21-year-old fell twice during his free skating program and failed to complete multiple technical elements, he struggled to hold back tears as he came off the ice.
About 30 minutes later, after Malinin’s score of 156.33 in the free skate and 264.49 overall was announced, the young skater spoke with reporters and said he’s trying to make sense of the night.
« Honestly, I still haven’t been able to process what just happened. It’s a lot of mixed emotions, » he said. « Going into this competition, I felt really good. This whole day, I felt very solid, and I just thought that all I needed to do is go out there and trust the process that I’ve always been doing with every competition. But of course, it’s not like any other competition, it’s the Olympics. »
Ilia Malinin of Team United States falls over in the Men Single Skating on day seven of the Milano Cortina 2026
« It was really just something that overwhelmed me, and I just felt like I had no control, » he said.
When asked if he felt the issue was his own nerves, or if there was a problem with the condition of the ice, Malinin said the ice was maybe « not the best condition for what I would like to have, » but he mainly chalked up his issues to « negative thoughts. »
« Right before I got into my starting post, I just … all the negative thoughts just rushed into my head, and all the negative, just traumatic experiences, you know. I’ve been through a lot and it’s not easy, so being the Olympic gold hopeful is really just a lot to deal with, especially for my age, » he said.
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Ilia Malinin of Team United States reacts with his team in the Kiss and Cry zone after competing in Men’s Single Skating – Free Skating Team Event on day two of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Ice Skating Arena on February 08, 2026 in Milan, Italy.
Malinin was also asked if he would have done better if he had made the 2022 Olympic team. The skater, who was just 17 at the time, was famously not chosen, despite finishing second at Nationals. But Malinin said he’s not sure what his life would look like now, regardless.
« I think if I went to ’22, then I would have had more experience and know how to handle this Olympic environment, but also I don’t know what the next stages of my life would look like if I went there, » he said. « So now all I can do is just regroup from this and really just take in the information that happened and just figure out how to manage in the future. »
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To learn more about all the Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls, come to people.com to check out ongoing coverage before, during and after the games. Watch the Milan Cortina Olympics and Paralympics, beginning Feb. 6, on NBC and Peacock.
