American Ilia Malinin saw his Olympic dreams go out on a whimper in Friday night’s men’s figure skating final at the 2026 Milan Cortina Games.
Malinin was the heavy favorite to take home gold after leading the short program, but he suffered two costly falls during his free skate program and ended up skidding to eighth overall. Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Shaidorov won a historic gold medal instead following his impressive performance, with Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama and Shun Sato placing second and third respectively.
Mere seconds after the scores were announced, Malinin was seen classily embracing Shaidorov and imparting a message that wasn’t caught on video.
Take a look at that great moment below:
Olympic sportsmanship at its finest. 🙌 #WinterOlympics pic.twitter.com/ZahQr7pnOo
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) February 13, 2026
Respect.
Shaidorov’s gold medal marks only Kazakhstan’s second ever Olympic gold medal at a Winter Games (their first was in the men’s 50-km cross-country skiing in Lillehammer in 1994).
In what might be the biggest upset of the Games so far, Malinin looked primed to win his first career individual Olympic gold following an awe-worthy short program that had him leading the pack by a comfortable five-point margin. There were rumblings Malinin would also perform his signature move, the quad axel, at the Olympics for the first time, but he ended up omitting it from his program.
“I’m heartbroken,” Malinin told reporters. “I don’t think I was prepared for the atmosphere of the Olympics.”
Malinin helped the Americans win gold in the figure skating team competition earlier this week but won’t get his taste of individual glory just yet. The 21-year-old “Quad God’ will certainly have plenty more opportunities to shine on the sport’s biggest stage in future Winter Games.
More Winter Olympics on Sports Illustrated
- There’s Pressure, and Then There’s Olympic Pressure. Malinin and Shiffrin Can Attest
- Ilia Malinin Places 8th After Two Big Falls
- U.S. Curling Gets First Ever Win Against Canada
- Olympic Figure Skating Champion Had Wholesome Reaction After Winning Gold Over Ilia Malinin
- Ilia Malinin Explains Hot Mic Moment After Failing to Medal In Olympic Individual Final
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Ilia Malinin Had Classy Move for Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Shaidorov After Olympic Upset.
