Ilia Malinin is reflecting on his “redemption skate” at the 2026 Winter Olympics after his shocking 8th place finish.
When asked by a reporter how “important” it was to be at the Gala Skate, Malinin, 21, replied, “It just was really important especially for what happened.”
“I mean, it’s just something that we go through as athletes, as people. It’s just all this constant voices, these attention, the pressure, just everything forced upon you,” he said on Saturday, February 21. “It’s very hard to deal with and honestly it’s what makes us very special, very grateful for what we can do. Really it’s just the reason why I wanted to go back out there. Just give it a redemption skate, just prove them all wrong.”
While looking back at the Olympics, Malinin — nicknamed the “Quad God” — noted that his experience has changed him in “many ways.”
“I think that now I’ve really understood my purpose in skating, and that is just to bring joy and happiness to the people that enjoy watching me,” he said. “So that’s what I’m going to be doing for the rest of my career.”
Earlier in the games, Malinin missed the podium after a series of mistakes during the men’s free skate on February 13. He ultimately earned eighth place despite being a gold medal favorite. Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Shaidorov ultimately took home gold, with Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama earning silver and Shun Sato, also from Japan, receiving bronze.
Malinin took the ice for one last time at the 2026 Olympics on Saturday for the exhibition gala, where there was no judging and no medals — instead, just an opportunity to entertain.
He sported a dark sweatshirt and distressed jeans, performing to “Fear” by NF.” Malinin previously shared that his routine would represent the negative impact social media has on the younger generation’s mental health. Malinin completed his signature backflip, which was illegal from 1977 to 2024, and became visibly emotional.
“On the world’s biggest stage, those who appear the strongest may still be fighting invisible battles on the inside,” Malinin wrote after he failed to podium. “Even your happiest memories can end up tainted by the noise. Vile online hatred attacks the and fear lures it into the darkness, no matter how hard you try to stay sane through the endless insurmountable pressure.”
He continued, “It all builds up as these moments flash before our eyes, resulting in an inevitable crash. This is that version of the story. Coming February 21, 2026.”
While looking back at his performance during the men’s free skate, Malinin shared that he was “not expecting” it to go the way that it did. He also admitted to feeling “overwhelmed” at the moment.
“It was really just something that overwhelmed me, and I just felt like I had no control,” he said on February 13. “Honestly, I still haven’t been able to process what just happened. It’s a lot of mixed motions. Going into this competition, I felt really good. This whole day, I felt very solid, and I just thought that all I needed to do is go out there and trust the process that I’ve always been doing with every competition. But of course, it’s not like any other competition, it’s the Olympics.”
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