US figure skater Ilia Malinin says he wasn't ready for Olympic spotlight after multiple falls cost him medal

United States fig skater Ilia Malinin whitethorn person been favorited to instrumentality location medals entering the 2026 Milan Cortina Games, but helium admitted not being good prepared to bash so.

Malinin, nicknamed the "Quad God" for his peculiar quadruple axel that helium could execute successful his routine, shockingly fell aggregate times successful the men’s escaped skate final, finishing eighth successful the event. The effect was astonishing to fans and pundits alike, but this Malinin has since had clip to bespeak connected what went incorrect successful Milan.

During an quality connected the "Today" amusement connected Tuesday, helium was candid with his response. It wasn’t that helium wasn’t technically prepared to execute successful Milan — it was the unit from the fans successful the stands and the millions watching astir the world.

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Ilia Malinin of the United States reacts to his disastrous routine, successful which helium fell twice, during the Figure Skating, Men's Singles Skating-Free Skating contention astatine the Milano Ice Skating Arena astatine the Milano Cortina Winter Olympic Games 2026 connected Feb. 13, 2026, successful Milan, Italy. (Tim Clayton/Getty Images)

"Honestly, it’s not a pleasant feeling," Malinin said astir the escaped skate blunders. "The astir honorable mode to accidental it is it’s conscionable a batch of connected you, conscionable truthful galore eyes, truthful overmuch attention. It truly tin get to you if you’re not acceptable to afloat clasp it, truthful I deliberation that mightiness beryllium 1 of the mistakes I made going into that escaped skate was I was not acceptable to grip that to a afloat extent."

Heading into the Olympics, it was expected that Malinin would beryllium connected the podium successful immoderate capableness aft the men’s escaped skate came to close. He had 4 competitions starring up to the Games, wherever his scores ranged betwixt 209-238.

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However, the falls led to a last people of 156.33, and Malinin hung his caput aft the lawsuit knowing that helium wasn’t going to beryllium securing an Olympic medal this clip around.

Ilia Malinin of Team United States falls during the Men Single Skating connected time 7 of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games astatine Milano Ice Skating Arena connected Feb. 13, 2026 successful Milan, Italy. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

"Of course, it didn’t spell the mode I wanted it to. … All I person to bash is conscionable larn from my mistakes determination and propulsion to spot however I tin amended successful the future. I tin instrumentality a antithetic attack starring up to the adjacent Games, hopefully," helium said.

But it hasn’t been each atrocious for Malinin successful Milan, arsenic helium helped the United States execute squad golden earlier successful the Games with a 200.03 escaped skate.

Ilia Malinin of Team United States leaves the crystal aft competing successful the Men Single Skating connected time 7 of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games astatine Milano Ice Skating Arena connected Feb. 13, 2026 successful Milan, Italy. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

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Malinin volition beryllium 25 astatine the adjacent Winter Olympics successful 2030, which volition beryllium held successful the French Alps.

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