'Quad God' Ilia Malinin Teased for 'Something Special' in Olympic Figure Skating Finale in Video

Saturday's exhibition gala that closes out figure skating competition at the 2026 Olympics will feature an appearance from the "Quad God" himself.

An social media post from the International Skating Union teased that Ilia Malinin will be part of the gala to deliver "something special."

Malinin began his Olympic run in spectacular fashion. He was part of the U.S. team that won gold, then followed that up with the high score in the short program in the first step of the men's singles competition.

The free skate on Feb. 13 did not go in Malinin's favor. He fell twice and bailed out of a quad axel, finishing 15th in the free skate. His overall score of 264.49 was good enough for eighth place.

Malinin's did receive support from several star athletes in the wake of his free skate, including from Simone Biles. The 21-year-old said his result gives him a "different perspective" and "different mindset" going forward.

Fans will get a sense of what the new Malinin looks like when the exhibition gala begins at 2 p.m. ET on Saturday.