Ilia Malinin’s Olympic men’s free skate ends in upset as “Quad God” misses gold

Ilia Malinin arrived at the 2026 Winter Olympics as the face of men’s figure skating’s technical revolution, with the “quad god” label built on a two-year tear of titles and record-setting base value. On Friday, the sport’s volatility showed up at the worst moment: Malinin did not win gold in the men’s event, and he finished off the podium after a difficult free skate.

Ilia Malinin’s 2026 Olympic result

Malinin, 21, led after the short program and carried a narrow advantage into the men’s free skate. But his high-risk layout unraveled under pressure, with multiple jump errors that knocked him down the standings. He placed eighth overall with a total of 264.49 points.

The gold went to Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Shaidorov, who delivered a clean, quad-heavy program and totaled 291.58 points. Japan took silver and bronze through Yuma Kagiyama (280.06) and Shun Sato (274.90), respectively.

Men’s figure skating: key results snapshot

What time did Malinin skate today?

The men’s free skate was scheduled for Friday, Feb. 13, with the event beginning in the early afternoon ET. Malinin, as the short-program leader, was slotted near the end of the final group; pre-event schedules listed his skate for the late-afternoon window, just before 5:00 p.m. ET, depending on warmups and ice delays.

If you’re trying to plan around future events, the safest approach is to follow the posted start time for the segment and then treat individual skate times as estimates that can shift by several minutes.

Why the “quad god” plan is both weapon and risk

Malinin’s edge is straightforward: no one else consistently threatens his ceiling when he’s landing multiple quads with speed and rotation quality. He has also been the only skater to land a quadruple axel in competition, a jump that changes what “maximum difficulty” looks like in men’s skating.

The same identity can backfire in a single free skate. Packing seven quads into a program narrows the margin for error: one popped jump forces improvisation, fatigue mounts, and the scoring system punishes under-rotation and falls quickly. That’s the knife-edge the men’s event is living on right now—especially when several challengers can go clean with five quads and win on execution and steadiness.

Adam Siao Him Fa and the broader men’s field

France’s Adam Siao Him Fa was among the main contenders after a strong short program that kept him in medal range heading into the free skate. His presence in the top group underscored how deep the men’s field has become: the podium race is no longer a two-skater story, and the gap between “favorite” and “outside the medals” can be one rough minute of jumping.

This is also why comparisons to past eras—names like Brian Boitano, when the event was won with far fewer revolutions—land differently today. The sport is scoring a different kind of difficulty, and the winner is increasingly the skater who can combine modern base value with clean landings under Olympic pressure.

Figure skating schedule and results: where to look next

For ongoing Olympic figure skating schedule and results, the official event results hub is updated in real time with start lists, segment standings, and final placements for men’s and women’s singles, pairs, ice dance, and the team event. TV coverage and streaming availability vary by country, but in the U.S. the competitions are typically carried across major broadcast/cable windows with streaming options on their affiliated apps.

As for when Malinin skates again, the next likely on-ice appearance at these Games is the exhibition gala (a non-medal event), where skaters perform show programs after medal events conclude. Post-Olympics, the calendar usually turns quickly to late-February shows and the World Championships in March, with exact entries dependent on federation assignments and athlete health.