Article by Luminița Paul – Published on Thursday, 19 February 2026, 15:19 / Updated on Thursday, 19 February 2026 15:21
The American skater Ilia Malinin (21 years old) spoke about his first Olympic experience, the one in Milan Cortina, which ended painfully for him, but which also brought him his first gold, the one in the team event. He takes into account the consultation of a sports psychologist and directs his thoughts, without hesitation, to the next edition of the OJ.
Almost a week after the men's figure skating competition, where he was the big favorite but missed the free program and finished in 8th place, Ilia Malinin spoke at length about the Olympic experience. The first in his case, with all that it includes, expectations, pressure, competition, solidarity, failure or joy.
“People said to me: Hey, it's part of the Olympics, you go there and you have to feel it. And you have to realize that it doesn't change you as a person. Not even as an athlete,” he told Olympics.
From November 2023 until recently, he had won 12 international competitions in a row. The streak ended painfully just when it seemed impossible to beat. His first reactions were of bewilderment, almost stupor, and pain. The expressive face made up for the words still unspoken.
But he got a lot of support from the sports world, in person, through messages, interactions on social media, and that did him good. So well that she stayed in Milan, and on Tuesday, February 17, she watched the short program of the women's competition in the stands, surrounded by other skaters: the South Korean Cha Jun-hwanthe Mexican Donovan Carrillo and the Canadian woman Piper Gillesparticipant in the dance test.
Ilia Malinin with Cha Jun-hwan in the stands at the 2026 Olympics Photo: Imago Images
“Being with them was a fun experience. And not only with skaters, to be in the Olympic Village… to meet so many athletes from different disciplines and countries. See for yourself how the Olympics bring people together“, noted the young man.
Not only that: he wants to see ice hockey matches, his favorite sport, but also to visit the city of Milan, even buy new clothes and taste Italian food at her house.
Ilia Malinin: “I said to myself: “There's nothing left to do. It's over””
Returning to the free program, where everything fell apart for him, after a very good evolution in the short, Ilia admits that it is still a process in fermentation. The pressure and how it affected him.
“I didn't understand how much the pressure could hit me. I was sure that I had everything under control, that I was going to get out on the ice… but no, I don't know why, I didn't really understand how it could be“, he said almost a week after the competition.
He had history a few minutes in front of him – gold on his debut, to succeed in his standard jump, the quadruple Axel, another first. He desired these things and confirmed that he did not wish to evolve “certainly” by erasing that element from his composition. “He was a target for me, to execute him then,” Malinin confirmed.
He then testified that once the program was over, he realized the extent of the failures. “I said to myself: “There is nothing left to do. It's over.'” He's still digesting those feelings and the aftermath. “When you go through something for the first time you don't know what you're going to feel“, he testified about the Olympic scene in its entirety. “But when you settle in, Ok, I've been through this before, you know how to approach, what to do. This is what I expect in the coming years“, he emphasized.
At the next edition of the Olympic Games, hosted by France, he will be 25 years old. Still very young for performance and history, and the fact that he is already thinking about it is comforting – some of the messages posted on social networks in recent days indicated a state of turmoil, of suffering.
“We are all human, not just Olympic athletes. This is what I would like to convey: I can be an athlete, I can be an artist, but I am first and foremost a human being“, emphasized Ilia.
Ilia Malinin: “Looking back, I should have considered”
Ilia Malinin during the 2026 Olympic Games free program Photo: Guliver/GettyImages
Before the Games, he did not work with a sports psychologist, but is considering it for the future. “I think I figured I didn't need to, but looking back, I should have considered. See what I could have done differently that would help me in the long run,” he reflected.
However, the American will leave Milan with a gold medal in his bag, the one from the teams, to the conquest of which he contributed decisively. A medal with which he posed smiling in an official photo session. But he insists that it's not this big metal money that defines you. “They are something I wish I had, like another performance. And I still want to enjoy the time, the experience. Because you only live once… and that's just figure skating”, concluded Malinin philosophically.
