{"id":222956,"date":"2026-02-14T21:20:10","date_gmt":"2026-02-14T21:20:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/14\/skating-community-reacts-to-ilia-malinins-2026-winter-olympics-finish\/"},"modified":"2026-02-14T21:20:10","modified_gmt":"2026-02-14T21:20:10","slug":"skating-community-reacts-to-ilia-malinins-2026-winter-olympics-finish","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/14\/skating-community-reacts-to-ilia-malinins-2026-winter-olympics-finish\/","title":{"rendered":"Skating Community Reacts to Ilia Malinin’s 2026 Winter Olympics Finish"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Team USA figure skater Ilia Malinin<\/strong><\/a>\u2019s peers rallied behind him after the gold-medal hopeful finished in a disappointing eighth place during the men\u2019s singles competition.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was not expecting that,\u201d Malinin, 21, told NBC Sports on Friday, February 13, after his final 2026 Winter Olympics performance. \u201cI felt so ready getting on that ice. Maybe I was too confident it was going to go well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Malinin, affectionately nicknamed the \u201cquad god\u201d for the sheer number of quadruple turns in his routines<\/a>, was the gold-medal favorite in the 2026 Winter Olympics. After finishing the short program at the top of the leaderboard, he slid down to eighth after falling twice and making a slew of technical mistakes<\/a> in his free skate.<\/p>\n

\u201cFinally experiencing that Olympic atmosphere, it\u2019s crazy. It\u2019s really different,\u201d he told NBC after his competition. \u201cI blew it. There\u2019s no way that just happened.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ahead of the individual event, Malinin helped Team USA win gold in the team event.<\/p>\n

Keep scrolling to see how Malinin\u2019s fellow skaters have reacted to his surprising eighth place finish:<\/p>\n

Tara Lipiniski<\/b><\/h2>\n

Tara Lipinski served as a broadcaster during Malinin\u2019s Olympics competition.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe grace, honesty and sportsmanship you showed in a moment of heartbreak reveals you are not only an elite athlete but a gracious human being,\u201d Lipiniski wrote via Instagram<\/a>. \u201cI can\u2019t wait to watch you rise.\u201d<\/p>\n

Johnny Weir<\/b><\/h2>\n

Johnny Weir works with Tara Lipinski as an NBC commentator during the Winter Games.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou are one in a million @ilia_quadg0d_malinin,\u201d Weir captioned an Instagram<\/a> tribute. \u201cYou showed true sportsmanship and grace. I can\u2019t wait to see where you\u2019ll take us next. \ud83e\udd0d<\/span>\u201d<\/p>\n

Nathan Chen<\/b><\/h2>\n

Gold medalist Nathan Chen was also confused as to why Malinin faced many missteps in the free skate.<\/p>\n

\u201cSomething happened tonight and, truthfully, I can\u2019t even express what it might be,\u201d Chen told Yahoo! Sports<\/a>. \u201cI definitely can reflect back on my experience in 2018, when I went into the short program with a lot of pressure, a lot of concerns in my head [and] a lot of doubt.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chen further noted that Malinin appeared to \u201chold back\u201d on most of his elements throughout the Olympics routine.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy the end of it, it just was not his night,\u201d he said. \u201cOne of the hardest parts about performing for a huge sold-out crowd is that you really can viscerally feel the reaction from the crowd.\u00a0 \u2026 That hurts you to your gut. Mentally, you have to figure out what went wrong and how can I regroup for the next element? Also, the energy changes in the arena and you can feel there\u2019s tension now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chen also noted that Malinin is still young and is \u201cstill hungry\u201d to overcome his 2026 Olympics outcome.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe has so much potential,\u201d Chen concluded. \u201cTonight is a night where he\u2019ll have to reflect and reevaluate where he was mentally and physically, and try to identify how he can come into the next Olympics and have a different outcome.\u201d<\/p>\n

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