Olympic Skater Ilia Malinin Breaks Silence After 8th Place Finish

Ilia Malinin is still processing his loss at the 2026 Olympics.

At the Milano Cortina Winter Games on February 13th, the figure skater widely predicted to win the gold medal finished in eighth place. He struggled with multiple falls and errors during his jumps.

After the competition, Ilia told NBC he was disappointed with his performance. He said his immediate reaction was disbelief, thinking, ‘I can’t believe that just happened.’

Ilias Malinin, a 21-year-old skater nicknamed the “Quad God” for being the first to land a quadruple axel in competition, said he was surprised by the result.

He explained that he felt very prepared going into the competition. He had a strong feeling of readiness when he stepped onto the ice, but now thinks that confidence might have actually worked against him.

I’ve been following Ilia Skorniakov for years, and it was heartbreaking to see him struggle at the competition. He’s the son of Olympic skaters Roman Skorniakov and Tatiana Malinina, and he’s always so prepared! He told reporters he thought his mistakes were just mental – that despite all his training and confidence in his program, he just couldn’t get his head right when he stepped onto the ice. It was a tough moment, but I know how dedicated he is.

He described finally being at the Olympics as an incredible experience, unlike anything he’d felt at other competitions. He emphasized just how different it was.

You know, looking back, I’m incredibly thankful for all the hard work I put in to reach this point. It really paid off! But honestly, this isn’t quite the outcome I was hoping for. It’s a little bittersweet, but I’m still proud of the journey.

Ilia, fresh off a gold medal win in the team figure skating event, said he was still trying to make sense of everything. He admitted he was speechless, but is now focused on what’s next.

He explained that he wants to build on what he’s learned here to prevent similar issues from happening again, and see how he can use his new knowledge going forward.

Oh my gosh, you won’t BELIEVE what happened to Ilia! He was crushing it, leading by over five points – FIVE! – but then… it was a disaster. He just wasn’t himself out there. He attempted a single axel when we know he can land a quad, and a double loop instead of a quad too! He fell so many times, and even his salchow was just a double. It was heartbreaking to watch him lose 72 points because of these mistakes. Seventy-two! I was devastated for him!

Mikhail Shaidorov of Kazakhstan won the gold medal, followed by Yuma Kagiyama of Japan with silver, and Shun Sato of Japan taking home the bronze.

For a look at more unforgettable moments from the 2026 Olympics, keep reading.

After the women’s snowboard halfpipe event, Korean snowboarder Gaon Choi took a photo with American Chloe Kim and Japan’s Mitsuki Ono using the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip7 Olympic Edition phone.

Nika Egadze, a figure skater from Georgia, took a picture with Simone Biles, the most decorated Olympic gymnast, while at the men’s figure skating event.

A cameraman captured U.S. skiers Breezy Johnson and Mikaela Shiffrin embracing after completing their second run in the women’s team combined slalom competition.

Biathlete Lou Jeanmonnot of France playfully posed with stuffed versions of Milo and Tina, the mascots for the Milan-Cortina Olympics. She received the plushies after winning a silver medal in the women’s 15km individual biathlon event.

After completing the super-G race, skier Dmytro Shepiuk wrote a message of support for Ukrainians on a sticky note.

Japan’s Kaori Sakamoto is surprised by her score in the women’s singles free skating team event.

Speedskater Jutta Leerdam of the Netherlands cried tears of joy after discovering she’d broken the Olympic record in the women’s 1,000-meter race.

China’s Eileen Gu competes in the women’s freestyle slopestyle—which earned her a silver medal.

Skater Maxim Naumov of the U.S. clutches a photo of his deceased parents after his performance in the men’s singles short program.

A composite image shows off the many tricks seen in the women’s freestyle slopestyle.

I was so thrilled to see Ekaterina Kurakova, a fantastic Polish figure skater, celebrating after her short program! And it was the cutest thing – she was holding up a little pierogi plushie! It’s just so perfect, since pierogi are basically Poland’s national dish. It really showed her pride and made the moment even more special.

No, it’s Team Austria’s ski jumper Julia Muehlbacher.

Selina Egle and Lara Michaela Kipp of Austria zoom by during the luge women’s doubles.

The figure skating team who won the medal took a selfie with a special Olympic Edition Samsung Galaxy Z Flip7 while celebrating on the podium.

Lindsey Vonn, a U.S. skier, appeared focused and determined while training just days after suffering an ACL tear in a crash.

Alysa Liu, representing the United States, performs a Biellmann spin during her short program in the women’s singles skating competition.

Jennifer Dodds of Team Great Britain looked very anxious while watching the curling mixed doubles round robin match against South Korea.

Snoop Dogg,serving as an Olympics correspondent for NBC, tries his hand at curling at a practice.

Evan Bates and Madison Chock, both U.S. figure skaters and a couple in real life, seem perfectly synchronized when they perform their rhythm dance.

Laila Edwards, the first Black woman to play hockey for the U.S. in the Olympics, competes against Sara Cajanova of the Czech Republic during their game.

Australian snowboarder Valentino Guseli embraced Team Czechia’s Jakub Hrones after competing in the men’s snowboard big air qualifying round.

Bulgarian ski jumper Vladimir Zografski hits the brakes during a training session.

Korey Dropkin, an American curler, celebrated with a shout after his team won against Switzerland in a mixed doubles curling match.

2026-02-14 02:49

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