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The men’s free skate at Milano Cortina produced one of the most dramatic moments of these Winter Games when Ilia Malinin, widely regarded as the world’s leading male figure skater, collapsed under pressure and left the ice in visible shock. The 21-year-old American, nicknamed the Quad God for his unprecedented mastery of quadruple jumps — most notably the unique quadruple axel — had been viewed as the near-inevitable gold medalist. Instead he placed eighth after a sequence of costly jumping errors that erased a commanding lead.
This episode highlights the brutal arithmetic of modern figure skating: enormous technical rewards are available, but the margin for error is microscopic. The crowd at Milano Ice Skating Arena saw a five-minute span that transformed expectations and produced an outcome few had forecasted.
What happened in the free skate and immediate reactions
Malinin’s long program opened confidently but soon unraveled as he suffered multiple mistakes on high-value elements. Commentators and analysts stressed that the loss was primarily mental — a reminder that physical capability and technical difficulty do not insulate an athlete from pressure. Malinin himself described the moment bluntly: he felt he had “blown it” and could not hide his disbelief as he left the ice. Despite prior success at these Games, including a key contribution to the U.S. team gold, the individual free skate became the contest that mattered most for his solo legacy.
With Malinin off the top of the leaderboard, the gold medal went to Mikhail Shaidorov of Kazakhstan, while Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama and Shun Sato claimed silver and bronze respectively. The result marked a historic moment for Kazakhstan — its second-ever Winter Olympic gold.
Why Malinin’s skills are extraordinary
Beyond this single event, Malinin’s technical profile remains exceptional. He is the only skater to have landed a quadruple axel in competition, an element that amplifies complexity because the axel is the only jump that launches forward and therefore requires an extra half rotation. That extra half turn raises the physical demands dramatically: a quad axel requires greater vertical lift and longer airtime than other quadruple jumps.
Technical measurements underline the difficulty. In his quad axel attempts Malinin can reach airtime comparable to elite basketball players and rotate at speeds exceeding five revolutions per second. His training regimen — often six days a week with intensive jump repetitions — combined with his build (around 174 cm and 64 kg) help him produce these feats. He has also popularized daring combinations and exhibition moves such as backflips, which, while visually striking, add little to scoring but do shape his public persona.
The strategic gamble of attempting extreme elements
Malinin’s career strategy has been to attempt more very difficult elements than most rivals, often accumulating a technical buffer when executed cleanly. For example, he has previously completed all six different quadruple jumps within a single program and produced wide winning margins at major international events by leveraging these high-scoring elements. Yet the same approach increases variance: when errors occur on those signature jumps, point losses are steep.
Broader Olympic context and other standout moments
The men’s figure skating upset was only one chapter in a day rich with Olympic storylines. Norwegian cross-country star Johannes Høsflot Klæbo added another gold to his remarkable tally, tying him with other all-time Winter greats. In sliding sport, Great Britain’s Matt Weston set a track record to become the first British man to win an Olympic gold in skeleton. On the ice, American Jordan Stolz established an Olympic record in the 1,000 metres, and he remains a favourite for additional speed skating golds.
Meanwhile alpine skiing fans anticipated Marco Odermatt for the giant slalom, and cross-country relays and other races continued to shape national medal tallies. These developments reinforce how quickly individual narratives can pivot at the Olympics — a single performance can create enduring legend or unexpected heartbreak.
What this means going forward
For Malinin the result will likely be framed as a painful milestone rather than a definitive statement about his career. He retains unmatched technical tools, including the only proven quadruple axel and a willingness to push program construction further than almost any peer. The lesson from Milano Cortina is twofold: technical innovation drives the sport forward, but psychological resilience remains the decisive factor on the night. Fans and analysts will now watch how he adapts technique, strategy and preparation for future championships.
Ultimately, the men’s free skate at Milano Cortina offered both a celebration of extreme athleticism and a cautionary tale about the sport’s unforgiving scoring system. The podium reshuffle served as a vivid reminder that in elite competition, nothing is guaranteed.