Ilia Malinin Says He Wasn’t Ready for Olympic Spotlight — simone biles Referenced in Conversation on Pressure
Ilia Malinin delivered one of the most talked-about performances of the Milano Cortina Winter Games when a mistake-filled free skate left the 21-year-old well below his season standards. Malinin now says the biggest opponent was the weight of expectation: he admitted Tuesday that he was not ready to handle the spotlight of the Olympics and vowed to learn from the experience as he prepares for the coming months.
What Malinin said and how the free skate unfolded
Malinin described the day of his individual free skate as a test of his ability to absorb attention. He said he felt confident going into the program but that the "amazing environment" and the intense focus on him affected his execution. The result: a free skate score of 156. 33 in Milan, a performance that included a 72-point deduction during a mistake-filled program and left him outside the podium for the first time in years.
The score at the individual final stood in stark contrast to the marks Malinin posted across the 2025–26 season, when his free skates produced scores of 209. 78, 238. 24, 228. 97 and 215. 78. Even at these Games he delivered a 200. 03 free skate during the team event, helping his country secure gold earlier in the competition. Those prior performances underscore how far this free skate fell from the technical ceiling Malinin has established.
Support, reflection and next steps
Despite the setback, Malinin still has an exhibition appearance scheduled at the closing gala on Saturday, February 21, 2026 (ET). He has also expressed intent to compete at the upcoming world championships in Prague the following month, where he has been a dominant figure in recent seasons. The skater framed the Olympic disappointment as a learning opportunity: "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 take a different approach leading up to the next Games.
At 21, Malinin’s track record already includes historic technical milestones. He remains one of the sport’s most transformative athletes, credited with landing the first quadruple axel in competition and becoming the first skater to complete seven quad jumps in a single program. Those achievements, plus his youth, provide context for conversations about recovery and long-term planning after a high-profile stumble.
Olympic pressure and the wider conversation
Malinin’s admission about being overwhelmed by expectation feeds into a broader discussion about pressure on elite athletes. High-profile competitors across sports have in recent years sparked public debate about mental health and the intense scrutiny that accompanies Olympic competition. The name simone biles is frequently invoked in those conversations as an example of an athlete who publicly prioritized well-being amid fierce attention and expectation.
Coaches, teammates and university communities rallied around the skater in the days following the individual result. Supporters noted that while this outcome was unexpected, it does not erase Malinin’s contributions to his team gold or his influence on the sport. For many observers, the episode underlines how even athletes at the top of their disciplines can encounter moments where preparation and environment collide unpredictably.
Malinin will return home with an Olympic team gold medal and a plan for how to move forward. His next skating steps — from the closing gala on February 21, 2026 (ET) to the world championships in Prague in March — will be watched closely as he and his team recalibrate after a very public test of pressure and expectation.
