simone biles: Lessons on Pressure as Ilia Malinin Admits He Wasn’t Ready for the Olympic Spotlight
Ilia Malinin has given his most detailed public comments since a stunningly difficult free skate that derailed his individual title bid at the Winter Games in Milan. The 21-year-old acknowledged that the weight of expectation played a role in his performance and said the experience will shape how he prepares moving forward.
Malinin’s admission on the Olympic stage
Malinin spoke Tuesday in a televised interview, saying he felt overwhelmed by the attention and was not prepared to fully handle it when he stepped onto the Olympic ice. He described a confident build-up to the free skate that collapsed under the “amazing environment” of the Games, calling the aftermath an unpleasant but instructive experience.
The free skate score of 156. 33 in Milan was a sharp departure from Malinin’s season marks, which had included free skate totals of 209. 78, 238. 24, 228. 97 and 215. 78 across four competitions. Even relative to his team-event free skate, where he posted a 200. 03 and helped secure a team gold for his country, the individual free skate was far below expectations.
At 21, Malinin has already reshaped men’s skating with a technical arsenal few can match. He remains the only skater to have landed a quadruple axel in competition and has previously produced programs that included as many as seven quadruple jumps. He called the Milan setback a lesson: “All I have to do is just learn from my mistakes there and push to see how I can improve in the future, ” he said, adding that he will consider a different approach before the next Games.
Campus and fan response
Back home, his university community rallied behind him even as the outcome stunned fans. Hundreds gathered to watch the final and expressed pride in what the athlete has already accomplished. Students and staff described disappointment at the result but remained upbeat about his long-term prospects, noting his age and academic status alongside his athletic achievements.
Those close to him emphasized the bigger picture: while the individual medal eluded him this time, he still returns from Milan as an Olympic champion through the team event. The campus gathering underscored the dual role he plays as both an elite athlete and a representative of his university community.
What comes next: gala, worlds and a reset
Malinin still has one more appearance at the Games: the closing exhibition gala scheduled for Saturday, February 21 (ET). His agent has said he expects to defend his world title at the World Championships in Prague next month, an event he has won the past two years.
The path ahead will be both technical and psychological. Malinin plans to study what went wrong in Milan and to adjust his preparation for future major championships. At just 21, his competitive window remains wide, and the community around him is betting on his ability to translate a painful Olympic lesson into renewed focus and improved performance.
For elite athletes, high-stakes events can deliver defining triumphs or humbling setbacks. Malinin’s account is a reminder that even the most technically gifted competitors must navigate the mental demands of the Olympic spotlight, and that recovery and reinvention are often part of the journey back to the top.
