Olympic Figure Skater Ilia Malinin Breaks Silence After Shocking 8th Place Finish: “I Blew It”
Ilia Malinin is still processing his loss at the 2026 Olympics.
During the men’s single skating competition at the Milano Cortina Winter Games Feb. 13, the figure skater—who was expected to take home the gold medal—came in eighth place after falling multiple times and botching several of his attempted jumps.
“I blew it,” Ilia admitted to NBC following the competition. “That’s honestly the first thing that came to my mind was, ‘There’s no way that just happened.’”
The 21-year-old—known as the “Quad God” for being the first and only skater to successfully land a fully rotated quadruple axel in an international competition—added that he was not expecting the outcome.
“I felt like going into this competition I was so ready,” he said. “I just felt ready getting on that ice. But I think maybe that might have been the reason—that maybe I was too confident that I was gonna go well.”
Ilia—son of Olympians Roman Skorniakov and Tatiana Malinina—chalked up the errors to his mental state as he stepped out onto the ice, despite the fact that he’d been preparing all season and felt confident in his program.
“Finally experiencing that Olympic atmosphere—it’s crazy. It’s not like any other competition,” he explained. “It’s really different.”
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“I’m still so grateful that I was able to put in this work and effort to get to where I am,” he added. “But of course, that was not the skate that I wanted.”
For now, Ilia—who already won gold in the figure skating team event—shared he was still processing “what just happened” and, while he had “no words,” he is looking to the future.
“Obviously I should take the stuff that I learned from here and really just improve it,” he said, “or use it to my knowledge to see what I can do in the future for this to not happen.”
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Ilia had entered the competition with a 5.09-point lead over second place, but lost 72 points due to his uncharacteristic mistakes including a single axel instead of a quadruple, a double loop instead of a quadruple as well as multiple falls and only a double salchow.
Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Shaidorov ended up taking home the gold medal while Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama won silver and Japan’s Shun Sato skated away with bronze.
For a look at more unforgettable moments from the 2026 Olympics, keep reading.
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Slip Up
U.S. figure skater Ilia Malinin, also known as “Quad God,” takes an uncharacteristic fall during the men’s single free skating competition, ultimately landing him in eighth place.
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Head in the Game
German bobsledder Laura Nolte gears up before training for the monobob, the single-person bobsleigh event for women.
Cameron Spencer/Getty Images
Victory Selfie
Following the women’s snowboard halfpipe competition, Korean snowboarder Gaon Choi poses for picture with Team USA’s Chloe Kim and Mitsuki Ono of Japan taken using the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip7 Olympic Edition.
Qian Jun/MB Media/Getty Images
From One Olympian to Another
Georgian figure skater Nika Egadze snaps a photo with Simone Biles, the most-decorated gymnast in Olympic history, during the men’s singles figure skating competition.
Daniel Kopatsch/VOIGT/Getty Images
You’re on Candid Camera
A cameraman films U.S. skiers Breezy Johnson and Mikaela Shiffrin hugging after the second run of the women’s team combined salom event.
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A Small Gift
French biathlete Lou Jeanmonnot has some fun with plushies of Milan-Cortina Olympics mascots Milo and Tina, which she received as part of winning the silver medal in the women’s biathlon 15km individual event.
Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images
Thinking of Home
Skier Dmytro Shepiuk uses a sticky note to send love to his fellow Ukranians after finishing the men’s super-G event.
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Scream and Shout
Japan’s Kaori Sakamoto is surprised by her score in the women’s singles free skating team event.
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All the Emotions
Dutch speedskater Jutta Leerdam wipes tears from her eyes after learning she set an Olympic record in the women’s 1,000-meter race.
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Big Air
China’s Eileen Gu competes in the women’s freestyle slopestyle—which earned her a silver medal.
Matthew Stockman/Getty Images
With Him Always
U.S. skater Maxim Naumov holds a photo of his late parents close after competing in the men’s single skating short program.
Hector Vivas/Getty Images
Twists and Turns
A composite image shows off the many tricks seen in the women’s freestyle slopestyle.
Matthew Stockman/Getty Images
Pierogi Power
Polish figure skater Ekaterina Kurakova holds up a plushie of a pierogi—widely considered to be Poland’s national food—as she celebrates with her teammates during the women’s single skating short program.
Tom Weller/Getty Images
It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane
No, it’s Team Austria’s ski jumper Julia Muehlbacher.
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Double Trouble
Selina Egle and Lara Michaela Kipp of Austria zoom by during the luge women’s doubles.
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Say Cheese!
The winners of the figure skating team event snap a selfie with the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip7 Olympic Edition while on the podium.
Daniel Kopatsch/VOIGT/GettyImages
Never Give Up
U.S. skier Lindsey Vonn looks determined as she attends a training session days after rupturing her ACL in a crash.
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Ice to See You
Alysa Liu of United States performs the Biellmann spin during the women’s single skating short program event.
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So Close
Team Great Britain’s Jennifer Dodds has a nail-biting reaction to the curling mixed doubles round robin match against South Korea.
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Curl It Like It’s Hot
Snoop Dogg, serving as an Olympics correspondent for NBC, tries his hand at curling at a practice.
Tim Clayton/Getty Images
In Sync
U.S. figure skaters and real-life couple Evan Bates and Madison Chock are a perfect match while performing their rhythm ice dance routine.
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On the B-rink of History
Laila Edwards, the first Black woman representing the U.S. in Olympic hockey, faces off against Czech player Sara Cajanova during the United States vs. Czech Republic game.
Hannah Peters/Getty Images
Friendship Knows No Borders
Australian snowboarder Valentino Guseli shares a hug with Team Czechia’s Jakub Hrones during the men’s snowboard big air qualifiers.
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Photo Finish
Bulgarian ski jumper Vladimir Zografski hits the brakes during a training session.
Al Bello/Getty Images
Swept Away With Joy
American curler Korey Dropkin lets out a victorious shout after his team defeats Switzerland in a mixed doubles round bobin match.
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