It was quite the shock on Friday when Ilia Malinin, the so-called "Quad God" and much-hyped U.S. figure skater, failed to medal in the men's free skate following a mistake-laden performance. But it was less of a shock when, on Monday, his teammate Maxim Naumov understandably came to his defense.
“I really just want him to know that we love him, and we care about him,” Naumov said of Malinin, speaking with NBC's TODAY. “His performance and what he did on the ice that day in the free program, it doesn’t define him. In those moments, it’s how you respond, and knowing him, I know that he’s going to be OK.”
