The American hopes at the Winter Olympics 2026 appear to be shattering. After Mikaela Shiffrin failed to secure a strong position at the Grand Slalom, figure skater Ilia Malinin also couldn’t make it to the podium, adding another major blow to the hopeful squad. While he finished eighth in the men’s singles event with fans questioning his potential, teammate Maxim Naumov offered an optimistic verdict, making it clear that the whole skating community is strongly backing him on the tough journey.

“We’ve got his back no matter what,” Naumov told ‘TODAY’. “I really just want him to know that we love him, and we care about him. His performance and what he did on the ice that day in the free program, it doesn’t define him. In those moments, it’s how you respond, and knowing him, I know that he’s going to be OK.”

Ilia Malinin came to Italy as the top favorite to win Olympic gold. Many people believed he would win easily because he had been almost unbeatable for the past three years. He was known for his powerful jumps and confidence, and fans called him the “Quad God.” After the short program, he was already leading by five points, which made his chances even stronger.

However, things changed during his free skate. Malinin said he suddenly felt very nervous. Negative thoughts filled his mind, and he could not stay calm. Even though he landed his first big jump, he made mistakes on others. He failed his famous quad axel, missed planned jumps, and fell more than once. These errors cost him many points.

When his performance ended, Malinin looked shocked and upset. His score was much lower than expected, and he finished eighth overall. This was surprising for someone who had been the best skater in the world. Meanwhile, Mikhail Shaidorov from Kazakhstan performed well and won the gold medal.

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Maxim Naumov and Ilia Malinin were teammates for the United States in the men’s singles event at the 2026 Winter Olympics. Both competed in the short program and free skate, contributing to Team USA’s overall results. Malinin scored 108.16 in the short program with high-value elements like the quad flip and quad lutz-triple toe loop combination.

Naumov scored 85.65 in the short program, which was a season-best performance for him. He used strong basic skating skills, step sequences, and triple and quad jump attempts, though his technical difficulty was lower than Malinin’s. Overall, Malinin finished with 264.49 points, while Naumov scored 223.36 points. However, despite the loss, Malinin still remains focused as it made a special announcement ahead of the upcoming opportunity.

Ilia Malinin still not done as he makes major announcement for next challenge

Ilia Malinin has made an important announcement about his next opportunity following his disappointing result at the 2026 Winter Olympics. After finishing eighth in the men’s singles event, the two-time world champion shared an emotional message on Instagram.

“On the world’s biggest stage, those who appear the strongest may still be fighting invisible battles on the inside.” He also added, “Even your happiest memories can end up tainted by the noise. Vile online hatred attacks the mind and fear lures it into the darkness, no matter how hard you try to stay sane through the endless insurmountable pressure. It all builds up as these moments flash before your eyes, resulting in an inevitable crash. This is that version of the story. Coming February 21, 2026.”

Malinin confirmed he will perform at the Olympic exhibition gala on February 21. This gala is a special non-medal event where top skaters present creative programs without judging pressure. His post suggests he plans to share something meaningful through that performance.

Despite his mistakes in the free skate, Malinin still won a gold medal earlier at the Games as part of Team USA in the team event. He has also confirmed that he will compete at the World Figure Skating Championships in Prague next month, where he will try to defend his world title. Now, it will be interesting to see if he can manage to secure fine results in the upcoming events.