Ilia Malinin has written about “an inevitable crash” after he missed the podium at the Winter Olympics in one of the biggest shocks in the history of figure skating.
The 21-year-old was the overwhelming favourite entering the men’s free skate on Friday in Milan, but he fell twice during his routine. Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Shaidorov won gold and Malinin finished 15th out of 24th in the free skate and eighth overall.
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A video posted to Malinin’s Instagram account on Monday shows footage of the American celebrating various triumphs on the ice, intercut with an image of the skater holding his head in his hands after Friday’s disappointment. The video ends with the message “21 February 2026”, the date of the exhibition gala that traditionally concludes the Olympic figure skating schedule, perhaps suggesting Malinin’s routine will be based on his recent experiences.
A written message alongside the video also hints at the pressures Malinin faced in the run-up to last Friday’s routine.
“On the world’s biggest stage, those who appear the strongest may still be fighting invisible battles on the inside,” Malinin wrote alongside the video. “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.”
The final title card of the video includes a book called “The Psychology of Fear” as well as images of computer keyboards and text messages.
Malinin was quick to congratulate Shaidorov after the competition, which resulted in his worst score since the US International Classic in September 2022. He also was honest about how the pressure had affected him at the Olympics.
“The nerves just went, so overwhelming,” he said, “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.”
Malinin did not come away from the Olympics empty handed. He won team gold with the United States during the opening weekend of the Games.
