American figure skater Ilia Malinin has opened up about a conversation he had with his fellow Team USA teammate, Amber Glenn, after her costly mistake during the women's individual figure skating competition at this year’s Winter Olympics.
Glenn and her fellow “Blade Angels,” Alysa Liu and Isabeau Levito, took the ice Tuesday in the women’s short program. The 26-year-old popped out of her final jump early following a mostly mistake-free routine, skating off the ice in tears and landing in 13th place headed into Thursday’s free skate.
Malinin suffered a similar fate, botching multiple jumps during his own free skate. He planned to be the first man to land seven quads in a single Olympic event, including the difficult quad axel. While he landed the quad flip, he stuttered on the axel, managing only a single rotation, and ultimately missed the podium, finishing in eighth place.
In an interview with People, he explained what he told Glenn, as he was one of the only people who could understand what she was experiencing.
“I've told her that, you know, this is something that we all go through,” Malinin said. “It's not always a pleasant feeling, but it's something that we need to embrace and we have to move on from no matter what, because no matter what happens, we always have to get up and go do it again.”
He continued, explaining that he tried to be there for Glenn in the same way she and all of his other teammates were there for him after he landed in the same situation last week.
“So many different athletes, you know, friends, teammates, even just randoms too. They're all there for me,” the figure skater said. “And even people outside from the village. Just so much love, so much support, and just such an honor.”
One person who showed her support for Malinin was Olympic gymnast Simone Biles, empathizing with him based on her experience with the “twisties” during the 2020 Tokyo games.
“I’ve definitely had a chance to bump into him,” she said about the figure skater during her Tuesday appearance on the Today show. “I’ve sent him messages on Instagram as well, obviously, it’s all been private because I know what he’s going through, and I know most athletes might not be able to relate, and it’s really, really hard to watch.”
Glenn will next perform her free skate Thursday night for the final portion of the women's individual figure skating competition. Regardless of how she places, she will still be taking home a gold medal from the team event.
