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It seems that Ilia Malinin, the “Fourfold God,” has done a good job of overcoming his Olympic heartbreak.
Last month, the 21-year-old Team USA star was the heavy favorite to take home gold in the men’s free skate. But the unimaginable happened: he fell twice and fell to eighth place.
However, he has begun to avenge the defeat and is now a three-time world champion.
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Ilia Malinin of the United States competes during the men’s free skate at the World Figure Skating Championships in Prague, Czech Republic, Saturday, March 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
Malinin screamed and punched the air in relief after finishing a skate that showed he had achieved his wish to “move on” from the Olympics after days of being tormented by his mistakes.
Malinin scored 218.11 in the free skate for a total of 329.40, well ahead of silver medalist Yuma Kagiyama of Japan with 306.67. Another Japanese skater, Shun Sato, was third with 288.54.
Malinin was blunt about his Olympic performance when speaking to NBC afterward, saying simply, “I blew it” and calling it a clear mental hurdle from start to finish.
“I had so many thoughts and memories flooding back just before I took my initial stance, and I think it almost overwhelmed me a little bit. I’ve been through a lot in my life, a lot of good and bad experiences,” Malinin told reporters.
Gold medalist Ilia Malinin of the United States greets spectators after the medal ceremony following the men’s free skate at the World Figure Skating Championships in Prague, Czech Republic, Saturday, March 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
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“So, I feel like it’s the pressure of being especially contender to win the Olympic gold medal. It was something that I can’t control now. The pressure of the Olympics, it’s really something different, and I think not many people understand that. They only understand that from the inside and going into this competition, especially today, I felt really confident, really good,” he added. “But it actually happened so fast that I didn’t have time to process it.”
But with some free pressure, Malinin was able to show who he really is on the ice.
Gold medalist Ilia Malinin of the United States salutes before the medal ceremony after the men’s free skate at the World Figure Skating Championships in Prague, Czech Republic, Saturday, March 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
Malinin becomes the first skater to win three consecutive men’s world titles since fellow American Nathan Chen, who accomplished the feat in 2018, 2019 and 2021 after the 2020 event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
