'Quad God' Ilia Malinin Reflects on 'Worst Day of My Life' from Winter Olympics Figure Skating Final

Figure skater Ilia Malinin was heavily favored to win Olympic Gold during the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milan. Instead, Malinin didn't even make it onto the podium after a disappointing performance in his free skate.

"That day will forever be the worst day of my life," Malinin told The Associated Press.

Malinin, nicknamed "Quad God" by his fans, was seen as a generational talent who was redefining the sport by landing jumps that nobody else could. Yet, he fell twice during his four-minute performance at the Olympics, which included several glaring mistakes. Malinin finished eighth as Kazakhstan's Mikhail Shaidorov won the gold medal.

Malinin later admitted that he didn't know "how to handle" the pressure of the Olympics, and it had worn him down, according to the Associated Press' Dave Skretta.

A month after the disastrous performance, Malinin won his third consecutive world championship.

"Even if I won the Olympics, I would have wanted to go to the world championships, because I love the sport so much," Malinin said. "That also leads into why I wanted to skate this season. I just love the sport of figure skating so much."

Malinin returned to the ice on Friday at Skate America in Everett, Washington. He scored 96.74 points in his Grand Prix season debut, beating out Japan's Sota Yamamoto, who came in second place with 91.29 points.