VIewers and spectators have been within the fringe of their seats to see if skater Ilia Malinin would do one thing that determine skating specialists as soon as believed would possibly by no means occur on the Olympic Video games.
In the course of the males’s singles free skate on the 2026 Winter Olympics, Malinin, all of 21 years previous, was anticipated to aim a quadruple Axel, which might have been the primary in Olympic historical past (although he has landed that bounce in competitors earlier than).
As a substitute, Malinin made a number of uncharacteristic errors, falling twice and turning his potential quad Axel into only a single.
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“That is surprising…he misplaced virtually 72 factors in these leaping errors,” mentioned Olympic gold medal winner and commentator Tara Lipinski, including, “He could possibly be off the rostrum.”
And he was off the rostrum. His rating landed him in eighth place.
“I used to be not anticipating that. I felt going into this competitors I used to be so prepared…truthfully, it simply occurred. I can not course of what simply occurred…I’ve no phrases,” mentioned Malinin in a rink-side interview after the scores have been posted.
After his skate, NBC’s Terry Gannon mentioned of the efficiency, “A reminder that nothing is definite in sports activities, there is not any such factor as inevitable,” and former Olympian Johnny Weir added, “”This one efficiency won’t ever diminish what Ilia Malinin has finished for our sport…it is so surprising and so surprising…it will definitely be one thing that he learns from and will get stronger from.”
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What can also be a bit stunning is that a number of of the highest skaters had falls, together with the person in second place after the quick program, Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama, and fellow Japanese skater Shun Sato. They each had expensive falls, although they nonetheless managed to complete with silver and bronze, respectively. Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Shaidorov took the gold medal. It’s the first medal of the Video games for his residence nation. After his win, earlier than Malinin exited the rink, he went as much as Shaidorov and congratulated him on his win.
Olympic sportsmanship at its most interesting. 🙌 #WinterOlympics pic.twitter.com/ZahQr7pnOo
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) February 13, 2026
Forward of Malinin’s quick program, former Olympic gold medalist Scott Hamilton was requested in regards to the rising star’s technical talents and didn’t mince phrases.
“He’s doing issues I by no means thought I’d see in my lifetime,” Hamilton mentioned. Olympic gold medal winner Tara Lipinski added, “[The quad Axel] is a bounce the game as soon as thought-about unattainable.”
The quad Axel is extensively thought-about essentially the most tough bounce in determine skating. Not like all different jumps, the Axel takes off going through ahead and lands backward, including an additional half rotation that dramatically will increase the issue. Consequently, a quadruple Axel requires a skater to finish 4 and a half full revolutions earlier than touchdown cleanly on one foot.
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Malinin, identified to followers by his longtime nickname “Quad God,” had already made historical past by touchdown the bounce in worldwide competitors starting in 2022. However till now, no skater had ever accomplished it on the Olympics.
Malinin’s achievement builds on an already historic Olympic run. Earlier within the Video games, he performed a pivotal position in securing gold for his crew within the 2026 Winter Olympics crew occasion, ending second within the quick program and first within the free skate to clinch the victory.
Born in Fairfax, Virginia, Malinin comes from a household steeped in determine skating. His mom, Tatiana Malinina, and father, Roman Skorniakov, each competed on the Olympic degree for Uzbekistan. Malinin started skating in 2011 and has quickly develop into one of many sport’s most transformative figures. Going into the 2026 Olympics, he had gained 14 competitions in a row, not dropping for the reason that 2023 France Grand Prix.
In current seasons, he has additional expanded his technical arsenal, incorporating on-ice backflips into his applications after the Worldwide Skating Union lifted its ban on the transfer.
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