US EditionWhen Olympic Dreams Hit the Ice: Photos of Falls, Flips and Hard Landings
Ilia Malinin fell twice and landed only three of seven planned quadruple jumps, scoring 156.33 points and finishing eighth while Mikhail Shaidorov won Kazakhstan's first Olympic gold.
- On Feb. 13, Ilia Malinin unraveled in the men's free programme at the Milano-Cortina Olympics, finishing eighth overall with a total score of 264.49.
- Amid noise and mounting pressure, Malinin said overwhelming nerves and traumatic memories flooded him during the skate, affected by ice conditions and a lead of more than five points.
- His planned quad Axel turned into a single and he landed only three of seven planned quadruple jumps, scoring 156.33—more than 80 points below his Grand Prix Final two months earlier.
- Mikhail Shaidorov surged from fifth after the Feb. 10 short programme to win gold, while Japan claimed silver and bronze through Yuma Kagiyama and Shun Sato, and Team USA lost the individual title.
- Only two months ago Malinin had smashed a world-record free programme, but rivals blamed a 'toxic schedule' after his Olympic underperformance, highlighted by Simone Biles applauding in the crowd.
42 Articles
42 Articles
New Olympic champion Shaidorov created a Kazakh milestone in figure skating. "Ice is slippery," says the champion
Terrible Ice Conditions Cause Disastrous Falls At Winter Olympics To Vindicate Ilia Malinin's Choke Job
Ilia Malinin is the biggest story of the Winter Olympics for all of the wrong reasons as questionable ice conditions continue to plague the United States. The 21-year-old figure skating phenom best known as ‘Quad God’ fell off of the podium as the overwhelming favorite for individual gold. Literally. There is a recurring theme with both figure skating and short track speed skating at the Olympics and it continues to fly under the radar. The ice …
Twice the American, a great favourite in the individual test, has fallen
Trouble on the ice? Figure skaters, speed skaters criticize Olympic ice conditions
Falls have become common occurrences at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics – though they are a natural part of any competition on ice. But when do they simply become too much? The falls kept on coming during the men’s free skate on Friday, and even superstar Ilia Malinin wasn’t exempt. The 21-year-old skating sensation, who is often flawless in his performance, fell not once but twice. Even he suggested the ice might have posed an issue following…
The representative of Kazakhstan, Mikhail Shaidorov, was the winner of a single figure skating for men at the 2026 Olympics in Italy.
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