In a stunning upset at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, American favourite Ilia Malinin fell from first to eighth place during Friday’s men’s free skate.
Known as the “Quad God” for his mastery of quadruple jumps, the 21-year-old entered the final with a five-point lead but crumbled under the immense pressure.
Malinin fell twice, once on a quadruple Lutz and again on a late jumping combination, while also bailing out of his signature quadruple Axel.
The gold medal instead went to Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Shaidorov, who delivered a career-best performance to secure his nation’s first-ever Olympic gold in figure skating.
Yuma Kagiyama and Shun Sato claimed silver and bronze, respectively.
The atmosphere inside the Milano Ice Arena turned from anticipation to disbelief as Malinin’s routine unraveled. Afterward, a devastated Malinin was candid about the mental toll, stating, “I blew it. That’s honestly the first thing that came to my mind.”
He explained that the weight of the moment became unbearable before he even started:
“The nerves just were so overwhelming and especially going into that starting pose, I just felt like all the traumatic moments of my life really just started flooding my head.”
While he missed the individual podium, Malinin leaves Milan with a gold medal from the earlier team event.
