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Fans are worried after it was revealed that videos with vulnerable messages were reposted by “Quad God” Ilia Malinin on TikTok.
The 21-year-old had a clear path to win the men’s singles skating gold medal on Friday night, but after falling twice he settled for eighth place.
Malinin was blunt about his performance when he spoke to NBC afterward, saying simply, “I blew it,” and it was a clear mental hurdle from start to finish.
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Ilia Malinin of Team United States falls during the men’s singles figure skating on day seven of the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at the Milan Ice Skating Arena on February 13, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
Afterwards, Malinin reposted several TikToks, including one with the message: “Sometimes I wish something bad would just happen to me so I don’t have to do it myself.”
Another video had the message: “Your little boy is tired mom.”
Malinin also shared posts from “Healing Letters,” an account that writes messages in a book. One said: “When I get home and walk into my room and my eyes start watering because no one knows how hard I’m really trying.”
Another said, “Nothing hurts more than trying your best and still not being good enough,” and the book was slammed.
US Figure Skating did not immediately respond to a request for comment as fans showed plenty of concern and support through the comments.
“YOU DID SO WELL ILIA YOU ARE AMAZING!!!!! I LOVE YOU,” wrote one user.
“Ilia 🙁 I hope he’s ok…” added another.
“You are still a champion Ilia Malinin A result does not define your talent or your strength. We are proud of you no matter where you go. Keep going – your time to shine is always ahead. You are the best,” said one more.
Ilia Malinin of the United States reacts to his disastrous routine, in which he fell twice, during the figure skating men’s singles free skating competition at the Milan Ice Skating Arena at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympic Games 2026 on February 13, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Tim Clayton/Getty Images)
‘QUAD GOD’ ILIA MALININ FALLS TWICE, FINISHES EIGHTH AFTER SHOCKING PERFORMANCE
Malinin admitted that his mind was quite messed up when he took the ice cream.
“I just had so many thoughts and memories coming up right before I got into my starting position and almost, I think it overwhelmed me a little bit. I’ve been through a lot in my life, a lot of bad and good experiences,” Malinin told reporters. “So, I just feel like it’s the pressure of being the Olympic gold medal hopeful in particular. It was just something I can’t control now.”
“The pressure of the Olympics, it’s really something else and I think not many people understand that. They only understand that from the inside and going into this competition, especially today, I felt really confident, really good,” he added. “But it really just happened so fast that I didn’t have time to process it.”
As his routine began Friday, Malinin connected on a quad flip to start, but then settled for a single axel. He then had a double loop instead of a quad loop. He fell on a quad Lutz attempt and then fell on another jump shortly after. He scored 156.33 points, far short of the world record of 238.24 he set in December and the 200 points he routinely hits in the free skate.
Ilia Malinin of Team United States leaves the ice after competing in the Men’s Single Skating on day seven of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at the Milan Ice Skating Arena on February 13, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
Mikhail Shaidorov of Kazakhstan won the gold with a total score of 291.58, a personal best. His score of 198.94 in Friday’s freestyle was also a career high. Yuma Kagiyama of Japan got the silver and Shun Sato, Kagiyama’s teammate, came away with the bronze.
Malinin, who regularly posts total scores in the 300s, settled for just 264.49 points. His personal best is 333.81.
