MILAN — Ilia Malinin admitted Tuesday on “TODAY” that he was not prepared to handle the spotlight of the Olympics, giving his most extensive comments since his shocking performance at the Milan Cortina Games.
Malinin entered the 2026 Winter Olympics under an intense spotlight. He was heavily expected to win gold in the men’s figure skating individual event, a competition he has dominated internationally over the last few years. But after a stellar short program, he was deducted 72 points during a mistake-filled free skate.
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“Honestly, it’s not a pleasant feeling. The most honest way to say it is it’s just a lot of on you, just so many eyes, so much attention,” Malinin said of the high expectations he felt at the Olympics. “It really can get to you if you’re not ready to fully embrace it, so I think that might be one of the mistakes I made going into that free skate was I was not ready to handle that to a full extent.”
Malinin said going into the day of his free skate, he was confident, but when he stepped onto the ice, he could feel the “amazing environment.” He added that the experience would affect how he prepared for the 2030 Games, should he compete.
“Of course, it didn’t go the way I wanted it to. ... All I have to do is just learn from my mistakes there and push to see how I can improve in the future,” Malinin said, later adding, “I can take a different approach leading up to the next Games, hopefully.”
Malinin’s 156.33 free skate score in Milan was a far cry from his performances during the 2025-26 figure skating season. In four competitions before the Olympics, Malinin posted free skate scores of 209.78, 238.24, 228.97 and 215.78.
During the team event earlier in the Games, Malinin scored a 200.03 in the free skate, helping the United States win gold.
At only 21, Malinin has become a transformative figure in figure skating because of his athletic ability. The self-proclaimed “Quad God,” Malinin in 2022 became the first skater to land a quadruple axel — a four-and-a-half-rotation jump — in competition. He is also the first skater ever to land seven quad jumps in a single program.
Malinin still has one more skate left at the Olympics, as he will perform at the closing gala on Saturday, an exhibition event. Malinin’s agent also told NBC Sports that Malinin still expects to compete at the world championships in Prague next month, an event Malinin has won two years straight.
