Ilia Malinin writes about ‘inevitable crash’ after Olympic figure skating shock | Ilia Malinin

Ilia Malinin wrote of “an inevitable accident” after missing the podium at the Winter Olympics, one of the biggest shocks in figure skating history.

The 21-year-old was the big favorite in the men’s free skate on Friday in Milan, but he fell twice during his program. Kazakh Mikhail Shaidorov won gold and Malinin finished 15th of 24th in the free skate and eighth overall.

A video posted Monday to Malinin’s Instagram account shows footage of the American celebrating various triumphs on the ice, interspersed with an image of the skater holding his head in his hands after Friday’s disappointment. The video ends with the message “February 21, 2026”, the date of the exhibition gala that traditionally concludes the Olympic figure skating program, perhaps suggesting that Malinin’s routine will be based on his recent experiences.

A written message accompanying the video also alludes to the pressures Malinin faced heading into last Friday’s routine.

“On the world’s biggest stage, those who seem strongest may still be fighting invisible battles inside,” Malinin wrote alongside the video. “Even your happiest memories can end up being tainted by noise. Vile hatred online attacks the mind and fear lures it into darkness, no matter how hard you try to stay sane despite the endless insurmountable pressure. It all builds up as these moments flash before your eyes, leading to an inevitable crash. It’s this version of the story.”

The final title card of the video includes a book called The Psychology of Fear as well as images of computer keyboards and text messages.

Malinin was quick to congratulate Shaidorov after the competition, which gave him his worst score since the US International Classic in September 2022. He was also honest about how the pressure affected him at the Olympics.

“The nerves became so overwhelming,” he said, “and especially getting into that starting pose, it just felt like all the traumatic moments in my life were really starting to flood my head. So many negative thoughts were flooding in there and I couldn’t handle them.”

Malinin did not leave the Olympic Games empty-handed. He won team gold with the United States on the opening weekend of the Games.