Scott Hamilton: 'I'm in shock' as Ilia Malinin's Olympic favorite status collapses
Figureskating great Scott Hamilton expressed disbelief after Ilia Malinin, the overwhelming favorite for Olympic gold, stumbled through a mistake-filled free skate on Feb. 13, 2026 (ET) and slipped to eighth place. The result stunned the sport and prompted an outpouring of reaction from fellow athletes and commentators.
What happened in Milan — and why it shocked Hamilton
Malinin entered the men’s free skate as the heavy favorite, but his program unraveled. He opened with a quad flip but then under-rotated a signature element and downgraded other planned quads. Two falls — first on a quadruple Lutz attempt and then on a later jump — and further jump errors left his free-skate mark at 156. 33 and a final total of 264. 49. Those numbers sit well below the world-class totals Malinin has routinely posted in recent seasons, including a personal best total of 333. 81 and a free program world mark he set in December.
"I'm in shock, " said 1984 Olympic champion Scott Hamilton after watching the event. "There was no way he could lose. And not only no way he could lose, no way he wasn't going to win by 30. With his body of work and everything we've seen coming into this event, he's unbeatable. I got asked, 'Is anyone able to beat Ilia Malinin?' and I said, 'Only Ilia. ' And that happened tonight. "
Community reaction, Malinin's response and the road ahead
Reaction across the skating world mixed empathy with surprise. Former Olympic medalists described the result as a stark reminder of the unique pressure of the Games. One peer reflected on how the arena reaction can change an athlete's energy mid-program, while another analyst pointed squarely at mental strain rather than a purely technical breakdown.
Malinin himself said his mind became flooded with "thoughts and memories" before his start pose and that the weight of being an Olympic gold hopeful overwhelmed him. "The pressure of the Olympics, it's really something different, " he said. He acknowledged feeling confident going in but added that the run unfolded faster than he could process.
Organizers have extended an invitation for Malinin to skate in the Olympic exhibition gala set for Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026 (ET), an unusual inclusion for an eighth-place finisher but a reflection of his popularity and standing in the sport. He has also opted to compete at the World Championships in Prague in March 2026, where he will seek to defend the title he has held in recent seasons.
Medal results and perspective
The gold medal went to Mikhail Shaidorov of Kazakhstan, who posted a total of 291. 58 with a career-best free skate of 198. 94. Yuma Kagiyama of Japan took silver, and teammate Shun Sato earned bronze. For Malinin, the result is a dramatic outlier in an otherwise dominant run that included multiple world championships and national titles.
Hamilton's blunt reaction captured the bewilderment many felt watching a skater who had appeared nearly untouchable over the past years lose ground so quickly under Olympic pressure. The coming weeks — including a return at the Worlds and appearances in exhibition — will test how Malinin processes this setback and whether he can translate his proven technical arsenal back into competition consistency.
Malinin postponed a scheduled media session on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026 (ET), leaving questions about his immediate public response. For now, the larger conversation centers on the human side of elite competition: how expectations, memory and moment combine to shape performance on the sport's biggest stage.
