On Monday, Ilia Malinin shared a video on social media that contrasted footage of his numerous victories with a monochrome image of himself, head in hands, accompanied by a caption suggesting an “inevitable crash” due to the pressures of the Olympics. The post teased that a “version of the story” would be revealed on Saturday.
That day, he is set to perform in the traditional exhibition gala, marking the conclusion of the Olympic figure skating events.
Malinin played a crucial role in securing the U.S. team gold medal early in Milano Cortina 2026 and was widely anticipated to claim another gold in the individual competition. However, he fell twice and faced difficulties throughout his free skate on Friday, ultimately finishing in eighth place.
After the event, he admitted that the Olympic pressure had taken a toll on him, stating: “I didn’t really know how to handle it.”
In his social media video caption, Malinin again touched on the burden he felt while competing in Milan.
“On the world’s biggest stage, those who seem the strongest may still be battling unseen struggles within,” the 21-year-old wrote.
“Even the happiest moments can be overshadowed by the noise. Toxic online hate assaults the mind, and fear pulls it into darkness, regardless of how hard you try to maintain your sanity amidst the overwhelming pressure. All these emotions build up as these moments flash before your eyes, leading to an unavoidable crash.”
WATCH | Malinin falls twice during men’s free program final:
Malinin, who aims to pursue a third consecutive world title next month in Prague, had remained undefeated in 14 competitions over more than two years.
Although Malinin consistently projected an unusual calm that belied his youth, the son of Olympic skaters Tatiana Malinina and Roman Skorniakov had previously acknowledged feeling the weight of the pressure during the Winter Games.
The first indication of this came after a shaky short program in the team event, where he placed behind Yuma Kagiyama of Japan, who ultimately secured the individual silver medal. Malinin mentioned the stress of the Olympics again once the U.S. team clinched the gold medal.
However, he appeared to regain his loose and confident demeanor that fans recognized after winning the individual short program. He even jokingly pretended to attempt a daring backflip during his free skate introduction.
The performance began positively with a quad lutz, but trouble arose when he aborted his quad axel. He ultimately fell twice later in the routine, resulting in his lowest score since the U.S. International Classic in September 2022.
Afterward, Malinin graciously congratulated Mikhail Shaidorov of Kazakhstan, the unexpected gold medalist.
He then handled a series of reporter inquiries with a composure and maturity that few could muster in such a scenario.
“The nerves just became overwhelming,” he reflected, “especially as I went into that starting pose; it felt like all the traumatic moments of my life started flooding back. So many negative thoughts overwhelmed me, and I couldn’t manage it.”
“All I know is that it wasn’t my best skate,” Malinin stated later, “and it was definitely something I didn’t anticipate. And it’s over now, so I can’t go back and change it, even though I would love to.”