It has been four days since Ilia Malinin left the Olympic ice without a medal. The American star entered the men’s free skate final as a heavy favorite, but two falls and missed jumps shattered his dreams. Instead of gold, he finished eighth. Instead of celebration, there were tears. Trolling began almost instantly. But amid all the noise, support has begun rising from within the Olympic family!

One of the strongest messages came from Olympic swimming legend Rowdy Gaines. Sharing Ilia’s photo, the three-time gold medalist showed people what the Olympics really feel like for athletes.

“I know it’s all relative but people have no idea what it’s like to play ‘our’ Super Bowl every 4 years. And Ilia, you have your Olympic brothers and sisters behind you all the way, kid. We’ll see you killing it next time…as usual.”

The 66-year-old U.S. Olympic Hall of Famer added, “We have all been here Ilia. I was there too many times to count. One bad or good performance does not define a career. He will be back.”

Expectations were massive for the Olympics debutant. Malinin had been undefeated for more than two years, winning fourteen straight events.

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A two-time world champion in 2024 and 2025, the 21-year-old was known as the “Quad God” for landing multiple quadruple jumps, including the quadruple Axel that no one else had performed consistently in competition. So, many believed a medal was almost certain.

Even before Ilia Malinin skated, he admitted that “negative thoughts” had started creeping in.

Still, a few expected the night to unfold the way it did. And when it did, some fans reacted only with harshness.

Words like “overhyped,” “obnoxious,” and “inexplicably awful” appeared online. One comment even read “loser.” It was a fall from praise to ridicule almost in an instant!

But athletes know how thin the line is between triumph and heartbreak.

Gaines, himself, finished 7th in the 200-meter freestyle at the 1984 US Trials and even narrowly missed making the 1988 U.S. Olympic team. Yet, none of it can dismiss his gold medal in the 100m freestyle at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, along with his 10 world records between 1978 and 1984, including becoming the first to break 50 seconds in the 100-meter freestyle.

Simone Biles, who faced her own wave of criticism after the Tokyo Olympics, wrote that she was “Totally devastated for Ilia.”

Mikaela Shiffrin spoke about the courage it takes to risk everything on the world stage: “We love deeply because we know loss. We feel the pain of defeat because we’ve tasted triumph. Heartbreak and victory live right next door… Ilia, we’ve got your back. 👊 Proud of you ❤️”

Apolo Anton Ohno, Brian Boitano, Scott Hamilton, and Evan Lysacek all voiced their support. But the strongest insight into what he was feeling came from Ilia Malinin himself!

“I blew it,” Ilia Malinin’s emotional confession after missing gold

After finishing eighth in the free skate on Feb. 13, Ilia Malinin did not hide behind excuses!

Fighting back tears, he simply said, “I blew it.”

He even admitted that he had felt confident going in and did not expect the result. But then, in the following hours, his emotions were spilled onto social media.

Some TikTok reposts carried painful lines such as, “Sometimes I wish something bad would just happen to me so I don’t have to do it myself,” and, “It hurts because I’m trying my hardest but nothing I do is ever good enough.”

Though he later removed most of those reposts and shared a calmer message: “No matter how hard things get, just know everything will be ok.”

On Feb. 16, Ilia Malinin posted a personal message on Instagram about dealing with “vile online hatred.”

“On the world’s biggest stage, those who appear the strongest may still be fighting invisible battles on the inside. 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.”

The post also included a video that showed his journey from joy to pain. Clips of him winning gold at an ISU Grand Prix and celebrating at the 2024 World Championships in Montreal were included, with a black and white glitch coming in between, palms on his face. The reel ended with FEBRUARY 21, 2026.

“It all builds up as these moments flash before your eyes, resulting in an inevitable crash,” he wrote. “This is that version of the story.”

Ilia Malinin ended with a quiet tease: “Coming February 21, 2026,” the date of the Olympic exhibition gala.