simone biles and Ilia Malinin: Star admits he 'was not ready to handle' free skate pressure

Ilia Malinin, once the clear favorite for individual gold at the Milano Cortina Winter Games, has offered a stark assessment of his Olympic free skate: the pressure proved heavier than he expected. In recent comments he described a confident lead-up that unraveled under the weight of global attention, and laid out how the experience will shape his preparation for upcoming championships and the 2030 Games.

Malinin on the moment: confidence that collapsed under scrutiny

Malinin said he felt positive heading into the free skate and energized by the arena atmosphere, but that the performance did not go as planned. "Going into that day, I felt really confident, really good. Stepping on the ice, I definitely felt that amazing environment, from in that arena, so much support, so much energy, " he said. "Going onto the ice, I really had a nice day, excited to get out there. Of course, it didn't go the way I wanted it to, but we can't look at that now. All I have to do is just learn from my mistakes there and push to see how I can improve in the future. "

Microphones picked up Malinin in the kiss-and-cry saying, "Beijing, I would not have skated like that, " a remark that underscored how he believes experience plays into performance at the highest level. He elaborated on the emotional fallout afterward, acknowledging that the global spotlight can be crushing if an athlete is not fully prepared for it.

"Honestly, it’s not a pleasant feeling. The most honest way to say it is it’s just a lot on you, just so many eyes, so much attention. Not only from people, fans, media, it's just so much. It really can get to you if you’re not ready to fully embrace it. I think that might be one of the mistakes I made going into that free skate was I was not ready to handle that to a full extent, " he admitted. The candor reflects a rare public reckoning with how mental load and expectation intersect with elite sport.

Next steps: Prague, technical ambition and a long-term reset

Malinin is already looking ahead. He has signaled that he will compete at the World Figure Skating Championships in Prague next month, where he will try to regroup and chase a three-peat. He framed the Olympic setback as a learning moment rather than a setback to his broader trajectory.

Part of Malinin's plan remains technical escalation. He acknowledged he failed to land his signature quadruple axel during the Olympic free skate but insisted the drive to push the sport's limits remains. "I think I would be much better to be known as 'Quad God, ' as you say, rather than winning gold medal, " he said, signaling that he prioritizes progression even after a difficult outing. He stressed that failure can be an instructor: "Everything happens for a reason... you learn a lot more from failure than you do winning. "

Looking further ahead to the 2030 Games in the French Alps, Malinin suggested that familiarity with Olympic pressure will inform a different preparation strategy. "Looking back at that, I know now I'll be able to understand how that feels, so that way I can take a different approach leading up to the next Games, hopefully, " he said. That long-term view shifts the narrative from one moment of collapse to a multi-year plan for growth and resilience.

Skating fans and competitors alike have voiced support and curiosity about how Malinin will respond in the months ahead. If his comments are any guide, he will treat the Milano Cortina experience as a blueprint for improvement: refine the mental game, keep pushing technical boundaries, and treat the next major events as opportunities to demonstrate how an elite athlete adapts under pressure.