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American Olympic skater Ilia Malinin did not hold his scheduled press session on Saturday. The session was postponed, according to Christine Brennan.
The postponement comes a day after Malinin finished eighth in the men’s free skate. The American star was the favorite to win gold, but fell twice during his performance, shocking fans and experts.
Malinin’s madness was considered one of the most unexpected stories of the Winter Olympics since he dominated the competition before Friday.
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Ilia Malinin of the United States competes in the men’s free skating program in figure skating at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, February 13, 2026. (Ashley Landis/AP Photo)
Malinin revealed that his mind was flooded with “thoughts and memories” before his performance.
“I had so many thoughts and memories right before I took my starting pose, and almost, I think, maybe it overwhelmed me a little bit. I’ve been through a lot in my life, a lot of bad experiences and good experiences,” Malinin told NBC Washington after the competition Friday.
“So I just feel like it’s the pressure of being particularly this Olympic gold medal hopeful. It was just something that I can’t control now.
“The pressure of the Olympics, it’s really something different, and I think not many people understand that. They just understand that from the inside and before this competition, especially today, I felt really confident, really good,” he said. “But it really happened so quickly that I didn’t have time to take it all in.”
POWER OUTAGE STOPS MOMENTS OF CURLING COMPETITION AT MILAN CORTINA OLYMPICS AFTER MATCHES START
Ilia Malinin of the United States reacts to his disastrous routine in which he fell twice during the men’s singles free skating competition at the Milan Ice Rink at the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games, February 13, 2026, in Milan, Italy. (Tim Clayton/Getty Images)
When his routine began Friday, Malinin connected on a quad-flip to start, but then settled for a single axel. He then made a double loop instead of a quadruple loop.
He then fell on a quad Lutz attempt and then another jump shortly after. He scored a 156.33, a far cry from the world record of 238.24 he set in December and the 200 mark he regularly hits in free skating.
Mikhail Shaidorov of Kazakhstan won the gold medal with a total score of 291.58, a personal best. Her score of 198.94 in Friday’s free skate was also the highest of her career.
Yuma Kagiyama of Japan won the silver medal and Shun Sato, his teammate, won the bronze medal.
Malinin, who regularly posts total scores in the 300s, settled for just 264.49. His personal best is 333.81.
Malinin congratulated his Kazakh competitor after the event ended.
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Ilia Malinin of the United States falls during the men’s single skating event at the Milan Ice Rink at the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games on February 13, 2026, in Milan, Italy. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
While on the bench, Malinin said that if he had been in Beijing four years ago, he would not have skated as badly. Malinin was 17 when he was cut from the roster in favor of veterans.
Malinin’s arrival caused great disappointment among the American team and ice skating fans on social media.
