Ilia Malinin finishes stunning 8th in Olympics singles figure skating: 'I blew it'

If the team event at the 2026 Winter Olympics was Ilia Malinin's introduction to the broader United States sporting fanbase, the men's singles served as something of a coronation.

Malinin, a Vienna, Virginia native, is widely considered to be figure skating's greatest talent. He's the only person to successfully complete a quadruple axel, having pulled off the feat a number of times throughout his still budding career.

Malinin flaunted his talent in the team event, overcoming a shaky short program to lead the Americans to gold. Men's singles, it seemed, would be a cakewalk -- a platform for the 21-year-old to enchant audiences before another gold medal danced along his neckline.

That didn't happen, though. Malinin suffered one of the biggest upsets in recent Olympic history, missing out on the podium entirely after falling victim to a number of uncharacteristic errors.

So, just what went wrong for Malinin on Friday afternoon? In short, everything. Here's what you need to know.

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Why did Ilia Malinin finish 8th in singles figure skating?

Malinin entered the contest with hopes of draping a second golden ornament around his neck. His dreams came crashing during his free skate program, a four-and-a-half minute routine that turned hellish following an early miscue. Malinin attempted to pull off a quadruple axel -- his signature skill. But he was turned away, unable to finish all of his rotations. He settled for a single axel, instead, setting the stage for an unusually nervy display.

The 21-year-old cratered into the ice shortly thereafter, losing his footing while attempting to land a quadruple toe loop. He tumbled into the slippery white plain once more during his routine. All told, Malinin lost out on 72 points during his jumps. That cost him dearly, seeing him fall into eighth-place, some 37 points shy of gold medalist Mikhail Shaidorov of Kazakhstan.

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Ilia Malinin reaction to failing to medal

Malinin was gracious in defeat, congratulating Shaidorov when his score was read.

Despite the heartbreaking finish, Ilia Malinin went over to congratulate the men's singles final gold medal winner Mikhail Shaidorov 👏 pic.twitter.com/Kcti5qFX0I

He then spoke with NBC's Andrea Joyce, where he offered an honest assessment of his display.

"I blew it," Malinin said. "That's honestly the first thing that came to my mind was 'There's no way that just happened.' I mean, I was preparing the whole season, I felt so confident in my program. ... To just go out and that happens, I have no words, honestly."

When asked whether he could chalk up his errors to some physical limitation, Malinin was clear.

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"I just felt ready getting on that ice. But I think that maybe I was too confident that it was going to go well," Malinin said. "Honestly, it happened, I can't process what just happened. It happens."

"I think it was definitely mental. Now, finally experiencing that Olympic atmosphere, it's crazy, it's not like any other competition."

Figure skating singles final standings

How old is Ilia Malinin

Malinin is 21 years old. He'll turned 21 on Dec. 2 of last year.

Why didn't Ilia Malinin go to 2022 Olympics?

Malinin could have made his Olympic debut four years earlier. He placed second in the men's singles at the 2022 U.S. Championships, putting him in position to be selected for the U.S. roster as a 17-year old.

Despite his impressive exploits, Malinin missed out on the final roster, with U.S. Figure Skating selectors opting to select veterans Vincent Zhou and Jason Brown over him. Malinin's omission was a controversial one; U.S. Figure Skating argued that Zhou and Brown's body of work superseded Malinin, who had yet to make an appearance at junior worlds, junior Grand Prix or the 2021 U.S. Championships.

Malinin had to settle for a spot on the U.S.'s World Championships roster, instead. He finished fourth in the short program, but fell to ninth after struggling in free skate.