In arguably the biggest shock of the 2026 Winter Olympics so far, American figure skater — the “Quad God” — Ilia Malinin, who entered Friday’s free skate final as the heavy favorite, fell twice in his routine and failed to medal.
Malinin finished in eighth place, and while he was visibly emotional in a moment that could have been filled with frustration, his actions immediately after the final results went viral on social media.
The 21-year-old walked over to Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Shaidorov, the gold medalist in the free skate final, and shared a warm embrace, congratulating him in one of the most shocking outcomes in Winter Olympics history.
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“This kid showed great class in defeat. Went over to the winner, congratulated him. Can’t be easy, but he did it. Kudos to him,” a fan wrote.
Another added, “Honest and classy. Everyone who supported him needs to be there for him even more now.”
One person commented, “Tough competition, congrats to Mikhail Shaidorov.”
“All great stories need a low point. His story is yet to be written, and we will witness him at his best again very soon,” another fan said.
Malinin made it very clear that, despite the confidence he carried into the event, he felt that “he blew it.”
“I blew it. Honestly, that was the first thing that came to my mind. I have no words — honestly, I’m just speechless. So in shock, I really didn’t know what to expect,” Malinin said. “”I think it was definitely mental… It’s not like any other competition.”
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