American figure skating star Ilia Malinin spoke out Monday on Instagram, days after his disappointing free skate subjected the heavy gold medal favorite to an eighth-place finish. “On the world’s biggest stage, those who appear the strongest may still be fighting invisible battles on the insi de,” Malinin, also known as “Quad God,” wrote. “Even your happiest memories can end up tainted by the noise. Vile online hatred attacks the mind and fear lures it into the darkness, no matter how hard you try to stay sane through the endless insurmountable pressure. It all builds up as these moments flash before your eyes, resulting in an inevitable crash. This is that version of the story. Coming February 21, 2026.” The post included a video of Malinin celebrating his victories with cuts of him sitting with his hands on his head. Malinin did not specify what is coming Feb. 21, but medal-winning skaters will perform in an exhibition gala on that day. Malinin could join for a special performance despite his eighth-place result after helping the U.S. win gold in the team event earlier in the Games. Malinin was widely-expected to win men’s gold after his dazzling performance in the short program, which put him five points ahead of the next-closest skater. But he unraveled in the free skate on Friday, falling multiple times and not executing his patented moves. The 21-year-old from Virginia lost 72 points due to a handful of uncharacteristic mistakes in the stunning display. His quadruple axel turned into a single, his quadruple loop turned into a double and he fell on his quadruple lutz. Afterward, Malinin was visibly upset leaving the ice and offered an immediate blunt reaction to his performance while speaking on the NBC broadcast. 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics Feb 13 ‘I blew it': Ilia Malinin finishes eighth in stunning men's figure skating result 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics 9 hours ago A complete guide to telling your friends, ‘You know, these figure skaters are a couple on AND off the ice' “I was not expecting that,” he said. “I felt so ready getting on that ice. Maybe I was too confident it was going to go well. I think it was definitely mental. Finally experiencing that Olympic atmosphere, it’s crazy. It’s really different. “I blew it. There’s no way that just happened.” This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser. ...read more read less