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U.S. figure skating team athlete Ilya MalininHis peers rallied behind the gold medal hopeful after he finished a disappointing eighth in the men’s singles event.
“I didn’t expect this,” Marinen, 21, told NBC Sports on Friday, February 13, after his final game at the 2026 Winter Olympics. “I felt ready to go on the ice. Maybe I was too confident that everything was going to go well.”
Marinin, affectionately known as the “Four Gods” due to their large number performs four turns in his daily routinethe gold medal favorite at the 2026 Winter Olympics. He was at the top of the leaderboard after the short program, but slipped to eighth after falling twice. Made a series of technical mistakes during his free skate.
“It’s crazy to finally experience the atmosphere of the Olympics. It’s really different,” he told NBC after the game. “I screwed up. This couldn’t have just happened.”
Before the individual competition, Marinen helped the United States win the gold medal in the team competition.
Keep scrolling to see how Marinen’s fellow skaters reacted to his surprising eighth-place finish:
Tara Lipinski
Tara Lipinski served as broadcaster during Marinen’s Olympic games.
“The grace, honesty and sportsmanship you displayed during a heartbreaking moment showed that you are not only an elite athlete but a kind person,” Lipiniski wrote on social media. Instagram. “I can’t wait to see you on your feet.”
Johnny Weir
Johnny Weir and Tara Lipinski served as NBC commentators during the Winter Olympics.
“You are one in a million @ilia_quadg0d_malinin,” Will wrote in one caption Instagram tribute. “You showed true sportsmanship and grace. I can’t wait to see where you take us next. 🤍“
Nathan Chen
Gold medalist Nathan Chen was also confused as to why Marinen made so many mistakes in the free skate.
“Something happened tonight and I honestly can’t even express what it could have been,” Chen told Yahoo! sporty. “I can definitely look back on my experience in 2018, where I went into the short program with a lot of pressure, a lot of worries (and) a lot of questions in my head.”
Chen further noted that Marinen seemed to “restrain” most of his elements throughout the Olympics.
“At the end of the day, it wasn’t his night,” he said. “One of the hardest parts of performing in front of a sold-out crowd is that you really feel the reaction viscerally… it hurts you inside. Mentally, you have to figure out what went wrong and how do you regroup for the next element? Plus, the energy in the arena changes and you can feel the tension now.”
Chen also noted that Marinen is still young and “still hungry” to achieve results at the 2026 Olympics.
“He has a lot of potential,” Chen concluded. “Tonight he has to reflect and re-evaluate his mental and physical condition and try to determine how he can compete in the next Olympics and achieve a different result.”
The 2026 Winter Olympics are officially underway, and Team USA arrives in Italy with star power, storylines and sky-high expectations. As the world’s best athletes gather in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, all eyes are on the Americans: from Ilia Malinin’s unmissable moment in men’s figure skating to Mikaela Shiffrin’s long-awaited redemption (…)
Eraj Balder
Retired Canadian figure skater Ellaji Balde also expressed support.
“Figure skating is one of the hardest sports mentally. The pressure is incredible and there’s no room for error,” Balde via Instagram. “Tonight was a tough game, but I’m proud of all these skaters for the hard work they put in to get here.”
Addressing Marinen directly, he added: “You are an innovator and a trailblazer in this sport, and what you bring to the ice is far more important than your jumping ability.”
