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Ilia Malinin came into the 2026 Winter Olympics as the heavy favorite to win gold in the men’s figure skating competition, but after a disastrous free skate routine that included two falls and other miscues, the 21-year-old American found himself off the podium entirely. 

Malinin is far from the first star to struggle living up to expectations at the Olympics, as the weight of the moment can present challenges for even the most talented athletes. While Malinin won’t have another chance to capture a medal at this year’s games, he will skate one more time at the closing exhibition on February 21 that ends the figure skating competition. 

On Monday, Malinin posted a video on social media teasing a routine for that exhibition that will explore the mental battle of dealing with that kind of pressure and what he called “an inevitable crash.” 

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“On the world’s biggest stage, those who appear the strongest may still be fighting invisible battles on the inside,” wrote Malinin. “Even your happiest memories can end up tainted by the noise. Vile online hatred attacks the mind and fear lures it into the darkness, no matter how hard you try to stay sane through the endless insurmountable pressure. It all builds up as these moments flash before your eyes, resulting in an inevitable crash. This is that version of the story.”

Malinin admitted prior to the short program that he was feeling the nerves of the moment, but went out and put together a tremendous routine that put him on top of the standings by more than five points heading into the free skate. The widespread assumption was that he’d back that up with another strong performance and run away with the gold, but he hints at mental struggles that clouded his ability to perform at the level we’ve grown accustomed to from the consensus best male figure skater in the world over the last three years. 

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In speaking with reporters after the competition, Malinin explained that he was overwhelmed with negative thoughts as he stood at center ice waiting to begin his routine. 

“The nerves just went, so overwhelming,” he mentioned, “and especially going into that starting pose, I just felt like all the traumatic moments of my life really just started flooding my head. So many negative thoughts that flooded into there and I could not handle it.”

It was clear watching that Malinin wasn’t his normal self from the start, as he bailing on two of his four opening quad attempts, and things spiraled from there with a pair of falls as he never got into his typical rhythm. While Malinin is a three-time world champion, the Olympic pressure was something totally foreign to the 21-year-old, and the knowledge that a four-minute skate will define the next four years of your career can be, understandably, overwhelming. 

Now the challenge for Malinin is to shake that off and continue his dominance on the ice while waiting four more years for his chance at Olympic redemption. His approach appears to be to steer into the skid and tell the story of what went wrong through his skating, which will start with Saturday’s closing exhibition.