Shattered Expectations
In the whirlwind of the Milano Cortina Winter Olympic Games, few stories shocked fans more than Ilia Malinin's stunning fall. The four-time U.S. champion, touted as the no-brainer winner of the men's figure-skating event, faltered in his Olympic debut, leaving behind a trail of questions and disappointment.Malinin's struggles began in the short program of the team event, where he finished behind Japan's Yuma Kagiyama. Despite a commanding performance in the free program segment of the team event, he couldn't shake off the nerves that plagued him throughout the competition.
The Pressure Builds
"We're not just competing for ourselves; we're competing for our countries, for the team, for our families, and for ourselves," Malinin said in an interview with TIME. "And to be in that starting pose, I just felt like all the traumatic moments of my life really just started flooding my head, and there were just so many negative thoughts that flooded in there, and I just did not handle it."Malinin's fall is reminiscent of Nathan Chen's 2018 Olympic performance, where the heavy favorite for gold faltered in the short program and finished 17th. Chen was able to recover in the free program, completing five quad jumps, which brought him to fifth place overall.
The Experts Weigh In
According to Paul Wylie, who won silver at the 1992 Olympics, Malinin's technique is generally the key to his consistency. "Coming from someone who only did a triple axel, it's the air position and it's the snap," Wylie says. "That combination, with the timing, makes it so that you're standing over your rotational axis, because if you fall out of that axis even a little bit, you're going to lose the jump and it's going to slow down and you don't get around."Meanwhile, summer Olympian Simone Biles, who was in attendance to watch Malinin's performance, believes that the young skater's gymnastics background is also a factor in his success. "The thing about gymnastics is that it gets you the balance, the air awareness, and the flexibility that you can transfer to any sport," Biles says.
A Changing Landscape
Malinin's fall serves as a reminder that even the most talented athletes can falter under pressure. As the sport of men's figure skating continues to evolve, it's clear that the next generation of skaters will face increased pressure and scrutiny.Despite his disappointing performance, Malinin remains optimistic about his future. "From here it's just regrouping and figure out what to do next and going from there," he said. At 21 years old, it likely won't be the last we see of Malinin at the Olympics, and one competition won't diminish the impact he is having in evolving the sport of men's figure skating."
