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American figure skater Ilia Malinin may have been the favorite to take home medals heading into the 2026 Cortina Games in Milan, but she admitted she was not well prepared to do so.
Malinin, nicknamed the “Quad God” for his special quadruple axle he could perform in his routine, surprisingly fell several times in the men’s free skate final, finishing eighth in the event. The result surprised fans and experts alike, but Malinin has since had time to reflect on what went wrong in Milan.
During an appearance on the “Today” show on Tuesday, he was candid with his response. It was not that he was not technically prepared to perform in Milan, but rather the pressure of the fans in the stands and the millions of spectators around the world.
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Ilia Malinin of the United States reacts to his disastrous routine, in which he fell twice, during the figure skating competition, men’s single skating-free skating at the Milano Ice Skating Arena at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games on February 13, 2026, in Milan, Italy. (Tim Clayton/Getty Images)
“Honestly, it’s not a nice feeling,” Malinin said of the mistakes made in the free skate. “The most honest way to put it is that it’s so much on you, so many eyes, so much attention. It can really take a toll on you if you’re not ready to fully embrace it, so I think that might be one of the mistakes I made going into that free skate: I wasn’t ready to handle that to its full extent.”
Heading into the Olympics, Malinin was expected to be on the podium in some capacity after the men’s free skate ended. He had four competitions leading up to the Games, where his scores ranged between 209 and 238.
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However, falls led to a final score of 156.33, and Malinin hung his head after the event knowing he wasn’t going to get an Olympic medal this time.
Ilia Malinin of Team USA falls during the men’s single skating on day seven of the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at the Milano Ice Skating Arena on February 13, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
“Of course, it didn’t go the way I wanted… All I have to do is learn from my mistakes and work hard to see how I can improve in the future. I hope I can take a different approach going into the next Games,” he said.
But it hasn’t been all bad for Malinin in Milan, as she helped the United States to team gold earlier in the Games with a free skate of 200.03.
Ilia Malinin of Team USA leaves the ice after competing in the men’s single skating on day seven of the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at the Milano Ice Skating Arena on February 13, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
Malinin will turn 25 at the next 2030 Winter Olympics, which will be held in the French Alps.
