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American skating phenom Ilia Malinin, who has also been nicknamed the “Quad God” for his extraordinary jumping ability, failed to medal after being the heavy favorite to win gold, finishing in eighth place in last week’s men’s free skating final.
Simone Biles, America’s most decorated Olympic gymnast, knows what it means to compete under pressure on the world stage. Biles revealed she reached out to her fellow American Olympian following her unexpected result on the ice.
“I definitely had the chance to cross paths with him,” the 28-year-old told the “Today” show. “I also sent him messages on Instagram, obviously all of that was kept private because I know what he’s going through and I know that most athletes might not be able to relate, and it’s really, really hard to watch.”
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Gymnast Simone Biles of the United States during an interview at the Figure Skating Competition, Men’s Free Skating at the Milan Ice Skating Arena at the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games on February 13, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Tim Clayton/Getty Images)
Malinin dominated the short program earlier in the competition and entered last Friday leading by more than five points with a score of 108.16. But his performance in the final was the opposite. Malinin was later blunt about his performance when speaking to NBC, saying simply, “I blew it.” It was definitely a mental hurdle from start to finish.
Biles draws inspiration from his experience at the Tokyo Olympics, where his run was interrupted by the “twisties.” She said the ordeal allowed her to share advice with Malinin on how to recover.
ILIA MALININ Hints at intense Olympic pressure days after unexpected result
Biles remains optimistic about Malinin’s career prospects and described the figure skater as an “absolute legend.”
“I see him coming into his own after this,” Biles said. “We’re just encouraging it.”
American gymnast Simone Biles watches the men’s free program during the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at the Milan Ice Rink on February 13, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (James Lang/Imagn Images)
Malinin also told the outlet that he felt the weight of expectations ahead of his eventual eighth-place finish.
“Honestly, it’s not a good feeling,” he said, when asked about being put under a microscope at the Winter Games. “The most honest way to put it is that a lot is on you, so many eyes, so much attention, not just from people, or fans, from the media, it’s so much and it can really get to you if you’re not ready to accept it fully.”
Ilia Malinin of the United States reacts after competing in the men’s singles skating on the seventh day of the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic Games at the Ice Rink in Milan, Italy, February 13, 2026. (Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
Malinin added: “I think maybe that’s one of the mistakes that I made before this free skate was that I wasn’t prepared to deal with that to the full extent, so I think looking back on it, now I’ll be able to kind of understand how that feels and so I’ll be able to take a full approach going into the next matches, hopefully.”
Malinin connected on a quad flip to start, but then settled for a single axel last week. He followed up with a double loop instead of a quadruple loop. Malinin fell on a quad Lutz attempt and then another jump shortly after. He scored 156.33.
Mikhail Shaidorov of Kazakhstan won the gold medal with a total score of 291.58. Her score of 198.94 in last Friday’s free skate final was also the highest of her career. Yuma Kagiyama of Japan won the silver medal and Shun Sato, his teammate, won the bronze medal.
