Ilia Malinin breaks silence after shocking Winter Olympics free skate collapse as pressure takes over

The moment shocked figure skating fans when Ilia Malinin entered the men’s free skate final at the Milan Winter Olympics as the favorite after a strong short program. Many expected the American star, known worldwide as the “Quad God,” to skate cleanly and secure a medal.

Instead, everything changed in a matter of minutes. Malinin missed major jumps, fell twice, and dropped to eighth place, a result no one predicted.What made the loss even more emotional was what happened before the performance even began. Speaking honestly after the event, Malinin explained that a flood of thoughts and memories hit him just before taking his starting pose. The pressure of being an Olympic gold favorite, he said, became hard to control.

His comments gave fans a rare look at the mental side of elite sports, where even the most confident athletes can suddenly feel overwhelmed.

Ilia Malinin explains Olympic pressure after men’s free skate collapse in Milan

Malinin’s free skate started with high expectations. After leading the short program, he only needed a steady routine to reach the podium. But the performance quickly went off track. He landed only two quadruple jumps, stepped out of a planned quadruple axel and quadruple loop, and fell twice.

Cameras captured him leaving the ice visibly upset, talking to himself as he processed what had happened.Later, speaking to reporters including NBC Washington, he said, “I just had so many thoughts and memories flood right before I got into my starting pose, and almost, I think, it maybe overwhelmed me a little bit. I’ve been through a lot in my life, a lot of bad and good experiences.”

He added that the Olympic pressure feels different from any other event, saying, “The pressure of the Olympics, it’s really something different.”Even with the disappointment, Malinin did not leave Milan empty-handed. Earlier in the week, he helped Team USA win gold in the team event, which he called a positive moment. He also admitted he is still trying to understand what went wrong in the individual final. The result contrasted sharply with his December world-record free skate score of 238.24, showing how quickly things can change in Olympic competition.Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Shaidorov won gold, while Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama took silver and Shun Sato earned bronze, closing a dramatic night in men’s figure skating.