simone biles: Ilia Malinin's Milan admission underscores the weight of Olympic pressure
Ilia Malinin delivered one of the most candid reflections of these Milano Cortina Games when he acknowledged he was unprepared for the intensity of Olympic attention. The 21-year-old, a reigning world champion and a technical trailblazer, saw a promising outing implode in the men’s individual free skate — a reminder of how spotlight and expectation can alter even the sport’s most gifted competitors.
Malinin’s candid admission and the immediate fallout
On Tuesday, Malinin said he was not ready to handle the full extent of the attention that comes with being the heavy favorite. After a strong short program, he struggled in the free skate, suffering deductions that dropped him to eighth overall in the individual event. He described the experience as unpleasant and noted that the sheer number of eyes on him played a role in his performance, calling it a lesson in embracing pressure more fully next time.
The free skate score of 156. 33 in Milan marked a sharp departure from the season he had posted leading into the Games. The defeat stands in contrast to the form that made him a two-time world champion and a transformative presence in men’s skating at just 21 years old.
Technical highs, stark score contrasts
Malinin’s free skate at the Olympics was a far cry from the numbers he produced earlier in the 2025–26 season. In the four competitions preceding the Games, his free skate tallies were 209. 78, 238. 24, 228. 97 and 215. 78. Even during the team event at these Games, he scored a 200. 03 in the free skate, contributing to his country’s team gold.
Known for raising the technical ceiling of the sport — including becoming the first to land a quadruple axel in competition and the first to land seven quads in a single program — Malinin’s mistakes in the individual free skate were thus all the more shocking to observers. He fell twice during the free skate and paid a cumulative penalty of 72 points, an outcome he has called a foundation for future improvement rather than an endpoint.
What comes next: recovery, reflection and future goals
Despite the setback, Malinin has a short runway for recovery and reflection. He is slated to skate in the closing exhibition gala on Saturday, February 21, 2026 (ET), and his agent has said he still plans to compete at the upcoming World Championships in Prague next month, an event he has won the past two years.
Malinin framed the experience as instructive. He emphasized the need to learn from mistakes and suggested he will take a different approach in preparing for the next Olympics, saying the Milan result would change how he readies himself for the spotlight in the future. Teammates and his university community have rallied around him, celebrating his contributions to the team gold and expressing confidence in his long-term trajectory.
At 21, the skater known as the self-proclaimed “Quad God” remains a defining figure in men’s figure skating. The Milan result is a reminder that athletic brilliance does not insulate an athlete from the psychological toll of major events. Malinin’s openness about being unready to handle Olympic pressure may shape how he and others plan for future Games — a private recalibration after a very public stumble.
