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Ilia Malinin had a clear path to the gold medal on Friday night, but that’s why nothing is played on paper.
The 21-year-old American skating phenom, nicknamed the “Quad God” for his amazing leaping ability, failed to medal after being the heavy favorite to win gold, finishing in eighth place.
Malinin dominated the short program earlier this week, entering the day leading by more than five points with a score of 108.16. But Friday was the polar opposite.
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Ilia Malinin of the United States reacts after competing in the men’s singles skating on day seven of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at Milano Ice Skating Arena in Milan, Italy, Feb. 13, 2026. (Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
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, which was not exactly what he had hoped for.
It was all downhill from there. Malinin then fell on a quad Lutz attempt and then fell on another jump shortly after. He scored a 156.33, a far cry from the world record of 238.24 he set in December and the 200-mark he routinely hits in the free skate.
Mikhail Shaidorov of Kazakhstan won the gold with a total score of 291.58, a personal best. His 198.94 score in Friday’s free skate was also the highest of his career.
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.
Ilia Malinin of the United States reacts after competing in the men’s singles skating on day seven of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at Milano Ice Skating Arena in Milan, Italy, Feb. 13, 2026. (Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
While on the bench, Malinin said if he had been in Beijing four years ago, he would not have skated as poorly as he did. Malinin was 17 when he was left off the roster in favor of veterans. That was a tell-tale sign of a mental battle, which Malinin confirmed almost immediately after he got off the ice.
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“I was not expecting that,” Malinin said. “Honestly, I can’t process what just happened.”
Milanin said he was actually “too confident it was going to go well.”
When asked what his initial thoughts were when he came off the ice, he kept it real simple.
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 Feb. 13, 2026. (Ashley Landis/AP Photo)
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“I blew it.”
It won’t be all failures for Malinin. He earned gold in the team event earlier in the Games. He is also only 21 years old with nine victories in international competition in his career, so he has plenty of time to rewrite his story.
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