Why did Ilia Malinin finish eighth?

What happened to the favorite in Milan

Ilia Malinin, the American skater widely viewed as the heavy favorite, had a catastrophic free skate that dropped him well off the podium. He fell twice in his free program and made a string of technical errors that wiped out the cushion he carried from earlier rounds. The mistakes were not isolated jumps but part of a broader collapse in execution that judges penalized heavily, producing scores far below the mark expected of a skater who had dominated the season.

Malinin’s reaction after the skate — captured on the broadcast and reported afterward — was blunt and emotional: a clear admission of personal failure. That frank response underscored how badly things went in a moment when consistency and nerves matter most.

Why it matters

• The result ended a long winning streak and stripped the narrative of an expected coronation, creating one of the biggest upsets of these Games.
• It opened the door for less-heralded competitors to claim medals; Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Shaidorov ultimately seized gold amid the chaos.
• For U.S. figure skating, the finish is both a shock and a reminder that even dominant skaters can be undone under Olympic pressure.

What to watch next

• How Malinin and his coaching team respond in the weeks ahead: changes to training, competition plans or technique work are all possible reactions.
• The broader impact on international rankings and momentum heading into the rest of the season, where confidence and consistency will be critical.

In short, a rare combination of execution errors and Olympic-stage pressure produced a stunning fall from favorite to eighth place, reshaping the men’s event and reverberating through the sport.