The men’s figure skating final at the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics delivered one of the most dramatic twists of the Games. American favorite Ilia Malinin, who was widely expected to cruise to gold, suffered a stunning collapse in the free skate. Gymnastics icon Simone Biles, who faced a similar situation during her Olympic career, watched Malinin’s performance from the stands, and the fans quickly drew parallels to her struggles at the Tokyo Olympics.
Malinin entered the men’s free skate as the overwhelming favorite on February 13, holding a lead after the short program and riding an unbeaten streak that stretched back more than two years. His performance quickly spiraled, as he faced two falls, missed elements, and fell short in completing his special quad Axel. These mistakes turned a presumed victory lap into one of the biggest shocks of the Games.
By the time scores were finalized, he had dropped to eighth place, earning a score of 156.33 in free skate and 264.49 in total. This shocking performance was witnessed by Biles, who faced the same pressure in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and withdrew from several events, citing mental health issues after delivering a disoriented vault performance due to a mental block while she was in the air.
Following the performance, multiple fans stated that the same intense pressure had a detrimental affect on the American, however, it was just on ice rather than on a gymnastics floor. Taking to X, one of the fans stated that the gymnast would be perfect to talk to Malinin in this situation.
“Simone Biles would be the perfect person to sit down and talk with Ilia because they really went through similar things at the Olympics.”
Another user on X compared the situations of the icons, writing:
“I can’t even imagine the pressure of an entire country watching you and *expecting* a gold medal. We saw Simone Biles crack under the pressure, and now Ilia Malinin. Ugh.”
Highlighting the athletes who have faced this situation in their Olympic careers, one of the fans wrote:
“Nathan Chen 2018, Simone Biles 2021, and now Ilia Malinin 2026. NBC STOP BRANDING ATHLETES AS UNBEATABLE.”
Ilia Malinin opened up about his fall at the 2026 Winter Olympics
After one of the most shocking moments of the 2026 Winter Games, American figure skating star Ilia Malinin spoke to NBCA 4 Washington about his performance. Opening up about the emotional and mental toll behind his fall during the men’s free skate at the Games, he offered a raw glimpse into the pressure that comes with being labeled a gold-medal favorite.
He admitted that the experience felt overwhelming despite feeling prepared going into the competition. (1:53 onwards)
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