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U.S. Olympic figure skater Ilia Malinin did not hold her scheduled media session Saturday. The session was adjourned, according to Christine Brennan.
The postponement comes a day after Malinin finished eighth in the men’s freestyle. The American star was the front-runner to win gold but twice fell short of her performance, shocking fans and pundits.
Malinin’s folly was considered one of the most unexpected stories of the Winter Olympics since he dominated the competition before Friday.
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Ilia Malinin of the United States competes during the men’s free skate program in figure skating at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, on February 13, 2026. (Ashley Landis/AP Photo)
Malinin revealed that his mind was flooded with “thoughts and memories” before his performance.
“I just had so many thoughts and memories flooding in right before I got into my starting position and almost, I think maybe it overwhelmed me a little bit. I’ve been through a lot in my life, a lot of bad and good experiences,” Malinin told NBC Washington after the competition on Friday.
“So I just feel like it’s the pressure of being hopeful for the Olympic gold medal 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 said. “But it really just happened so fast that I didn’t have time to process it.”
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Ilia Malinin of the United States reacts to his routine disaster in which he fell twice during the men’s singles free skating competition at the Milan Ice Skating Arena at the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics February 13, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Tim Clayton/Getty Images)
When his routine started 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 then fell on a quad Lutz attempt and then fell on another jump shortly after. He scored 156.33, far short of the world record of 238.24 he set in December and the 200 mark he routinely breaks in the free skate.
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 posts total scores in the 300s regularly, settled for just 264.49. His personal best is 333.81.
Malinin congratulated his Kazakh competitor after the event ended.
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Ilia Malinin of the United States falls during the men’s singles figure skating event at the Milan Ice Skating Arena at the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics February 13, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
Sitting on the bench, Malinin said that if he had been in Beijing four years ago, he would not have skated as badly as he did. Malinin was 17 when he was left off the roster in favor of veterans.
Malinin’s exit sparked widespread disappointment among Team USA and skating fans across social media.
