For the first time since November 2023, American figure skater Ilia Malinin has lost a competition.
With an error-filled program to close out the men’s singles figure skating event, the gold-medal favourite finished in eighth place, failing to make the podium.
“I think the atmosphere of the Olympics itself was something I was really not prepared for … I’m honestly heartbroken for what just happened,” Malinin said to Devin Heroux of CBC Olympics.
Mikhail Shaidorov won gold in the event, earning Kazakhstan its first medal of Milano Cortina 2026 and its second gold medal ever. Two-time Olympic medalist Yuma Kagiyama won silver and Shun Sato won bronze, adding two medals to Japan’s total of 12.
Canadian Stephen Gogolev had the second-highest scoring free program of the night with a total of 186.37.
The 21-year-old finished fifth in his first Olympic Games. He was less than a point and a half away from the podium.
Malinin, known as the “Quad God” for his mesmerizing quadruple axels, fell twice during his program. He finished with a final score of 156.33, ranking fifteenth among skaters in the final.
“It was a mess first of all, and definitely not what I was expecting to happen,” said Malinin.
The 22-year-old had teased a potential quintuple jump prior to Olympic competition. The two-time reigning men’s world champion, Malinin had not lost an event since a Grand Prix in November 2023.