Skater Ilia Malinin Details “Vile Online Hatred” After Olympics Finish

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Ilia Malinin is opening up about his internal struggles.

Following a disappointing eighth-place finish in his free skate, the 21-year-old American figure skater – who was expected to win gold at the 2026 Winter Olympics – shared his thoughts on the result.

He shared on Instagram that even people who seem incredibly strong can be struggling with hidden challenges. He explained that even happy moments can be overshadowed by negativity, and that online hate and immense pressure can be mentally damaging, no matter how hard someone tries to cope.

You know, I’ve seen this pattern so many times. Life just keeps speeding up, little moments turning into a blur, until eventually, things fall apart. This is that story – the one where everything catches up with you.

Ilia hinted at a surprise coming soon, and announced a date: February 21, 2026.

Ilia recently spoke openly about how he performed at the men’s single skating competition on February 13th. He had a difficult time during the event, falling several times and not completing some of his planned jumps. This resulted in an eighth-place finish, a surprising outcome for the skater, nicknamed the “Quad God,” who was expected to win gold.

I was so gutted after the competition, honestly. Ilia actually said to NBC that his first thought was just disbelief – he couldn’t believe what had happened! It really showed how shocked he was, and it broke my heart to see. It felt like we all experienced that moment of ‘Did that really just happen?’ with him.

Despite still trying to make sense of the situation, the Virginia skater—who was part of the gold-medal-winning team—is now looking forward to what’s next.

He stated he wants to build on what he’s learned here and use that knowledge to prevent similar issues from happening again.

For a closer look at the most candid moments from the 2026 Winter Olympics, keep reading…

Ilia Malinin, the American figure skater nicknamed “Quad God,” surprisingly fell during his free skate performance, which resulted in an eighth-place finish.

German bobsledder Laura Nolte prepares before a training session for the monobob, a one-person bobsleigh race for women.

After the women’s snowboard halfpipe event, Korean snowboarder Gaon Choi took a photo with American Chloe Kim and Japan’s Mitsuki Ono. The picture was taken with a 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 singles figure skating competition.

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 the Milan-Cortina Olympics mascots, Milo and Tina. She received the plush toys 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 to his Ukrainian compatriots 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.

After his performance in the men’s singles short program, U.S. skater Maxim Naumov held a photo of his parents, who have passed away, close to his heart.

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

Figure skater Ekaterina Kurakova, representing Poland, celebrated her performance with teammates while holding a pierogi plushie—a popular symbol of Polish cuisine.

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 a torn ACL 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 mixed doubles curling 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 in sync when they perform their ice dance routine.

Laila Edwards, the first African American 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 Czech competitor 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.

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2026-02-16 20:47