When Ilia Malinin entered the 2026 Winter Olympics, the weight of expectations led to heartbreak, as an error-laden performance saw him finish eighth. But the 21-year-old responded in style, bouncing back with a gold-medal performance. While that was a statement in itself, the figure skater chose to reflect on Milan one final time.

“I’ve thought about that a lot,” Ilia Malinin told journalist Akiko Tamura when asked whether what happened at the Olympics—and how he handled it — had won him more fans and attention than if he had won the event. “I actually think that’s true. Whatever happened was a learning experience for me, and I think it increased interest and popularity not only for me but for the sport as a whole. I think it’s the beginning of a new chapter in figure skating.”

And that may ring true as Malinin’s popularity has certainly skyrocketed since he won his third consecutive World Figure Skating Championships, completing a dominant redemption arc after his Olympic disappointment. The 21-year-old didn’t let his Olympic collapse hurt his performance at worlds, as he entered the final with a commanding lead. 

That was thanks to his short program, in which he registered a personal best of 111.29, more than nine points ahead of his nearest competitor. And unlike his performance at the Olympics, Malinin did not falter this time. Instead, he performed a dazzling free-skate program and wowed the crowd with his wide array of jumps. 

From landing five quadruple jumps and a backflip to a raspberry twist sideways spin, Ilia Malinin did it all. And more importantly, the American kept his program error-free, and it showed as he finished comfortably ahead of second-place Yumi Kagiyama and third-place Shun Sato.

It marked a historic moment for Malinin as he won his third straight world title, putting him just one off the record held by Hayes Jenkins and Scott Hamilton. More importantly, it marked the return of a freer Ilia Malinin, and one who didn’t quite feel as burdened as he did in Milan.

Ilia Malinin reflects on the pressure he felt at the Olympics

Ilia Malinin himself admitted that the pressure of being the favorite to win gold at the Milan Olympics weighed on him. That being said, he entered Milan having won his last fourteen events. Those included back-to-back World Figure Skating Championships titles and a host of other events along the way.

But after his third consecutive world gold medal, Ilia Malinin touched upon his performance at the Olympics and the pressure of it all.

“It was a lot of everything. I think I would say just a lot of pressure, a lot of just being there for a long time that also made me tired but the main thing was that it was all too much to handle, and I got exhausted way too quickly, and I just didn’t have enough energy to go for that, you know, final free skate,” Malinin said in an interview on X.

But while he may have felt pressure at the Olympics, that version of Malinin was nowhere to be seen at the World Figure Skating Championships. Instead, it was a different version of Malinin, the one that everyone hoped would turn up at the Olympics. 

“Yeah, I would say it definitely feels like redemption, but I think most importantly, it feels like relief that the season is finally over and I can really relax and appreciate everything that the offseason will bring me,” Malinin added.

Now, he has jetted off to Japan for the Stars on Ice tour, and will be headlining the tour alongside fellow Olympians, including gold medalist Alysa Liu, Japanese stars Kaori Sakamoto, Ami Nakai, Riku Miura, and more.