Things did not unfold as planned by Ilia Malinin, the heavy favorite for the Olympic men’s figure skating title at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Games. After leading early, he stumbled in the free skate and fell twice,

Malinin plans to tell the story of his struggles in a new skating routine

MILAN (AP) — Ilia Malinin posted a video on social media Monday juxtaposing images of his many triumphs with a black-and-white image of the U.S. figure skater with his head buried in his hands, and a caption hinting at an “inevitable crash” amid the pressure of the Olympics while teasing that a “version of the story” is coming on Saturday.

The 21-year-old mentioned the “invisible battles” he was fighting inside.

The 21-year-old Ilia Malinin was heard on a hot mic lamenting his lack of Olympic experience and how it affected him at the 2026 Games.

Ilia Malinin skated toward Olympic gold until his final performance unraveled the myth and revealed the human underneath.

This is the first Olympics in 50 years where the move hasn't been illegal—and Malinin’s backflip has long been known as the “Bonaly flip.”