'Quad God' Fails to Medal, Men's Olympic Figure Skating 2026 Results & Free Skate Winners

United States figure skating sensation Ilia Malinin was finally beaten in a dramatic men's singles competition on Friday, finishing eighth overall after an error-strewn free skate routine at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Kazakhstan's Mikhail Shaidorov (291.58) put on a stunning performance to win gold, finishing streaks ahead of Japanese duo Yuma Kagiyama (280.06) and Shun Sato (274.90)

The 'Quad God' was huge favorite heading into the second part of the competition, having established a five-point lead over his nearest rivals in Tuesday's short program.

With a clear buffer to play with, it seemed like Malinin's closest competitors had given him a free shot at the gold after making multiple mistakes. However, Shaidorov put up the performance of the night with an ambitious routine to take the glory.

Both Kagiyama and France's Adam Siao Him Fa, who were second and third heading into the day, made errors before Malinin took to the ice. It wasn't to be for the favorite, though, who made mistakes early and failed to recover.

Men's Single Skating Medal Winners

-Gold: Mikhail Shaidorov (Kazakhstan) - 291.58

-Silver: Yuma Kagiyama (Japan) - 280.06

-Bronze: Shun Sato (Japan) - 274.90

Maxim Naumov was the first American to complete the free skate, finishing 20th with a combined score of 223.36. Naumov fell on the quad salchow, and then again shortly after, failing to build on his 14th place in the short program.

Andreas Rentz/Getty Images

Team USA's Andrew Torgashev was later part of a tremendous second group. He grew in confidence as his display progressed, gaining great momentum during the choreo sequence to finish on a combined score of 259.06 in 12th.

Superstars were out in full force to show their support, with Simone Biles, Emilie Livingston and Jeff Goldblum spotted by the cameras.

There was no bigger star than Shaidorov on the night, though, as the 21-year-old cemented his legacy in front of a global audience of new fans.