Even four years of sacrifice and preparation after missing out on the 2022 U.S. Olympic team can prove futile at the Olympics if the mind and body fail to align at the decisive moment. That’s what happened to skater Ilia Malinin, who crumbled under immense pressure at the Winter Olympics, drawing comparisons to Simone Biles’ experience at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Since the seven-time Olympic gold medalist knows what that feels like, she has extended her support.

“I definitely had a chance to bump into him,” Biles said on the TODAY show. “I have sent him messages on Instagram as well. Obviously, it’s all been private because I know exactly what he is going through, and most athletes might not be able to relate. It’s really, really hard to watch, but he is an absolute legend. So I see him coming out on top after this, and we are all just cheering for him.”

Entering Milan, the 21-year-old was a top pick to win gold. After all, he bagged 14 consecutive victories in full competitions, four consecutive U.S. Figure Skating titles (2023–2026), and three consecutive Grand Prix Final titles (2023–2025). But he had an unexpected collapse at the singles event, where he finished in eighth position.

Although he initially held a five-point lead, he made several atypical blunders. The ‘Quad God’ landed his high-scoring opening quad flip jump, but what followed was a struggle with the axel jump. There was a successful quad lutz, but he doubled what was planned for a quad loop. Malinin soon fell on a quad lutz, preventing him from doing the second jump (a triple toe loop) of the combination.

All the American had to do was what he had already done countless times, but his final jumping pass was supposed to be a quad salchow-triple axel combination. He fell again.

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Once the program ended, he stood on center ice and shook his head. Still consumed by what appeared to be disbelief, he put his arms in the air to salute the crowd. As he skated off, he puffed out his cheeks, as if to stop himself from crying.

His free skate score of 156.33 was announced, placing him a staggering 15th out of 24 in the segment, while his total score of 264.49 resulted in a previously unthinkable eighth-place finish overall. After the announcement, he hugged Shaidorov, the world silver medalist who led the field by more than 11 points, and congratulated him on winning Olympic gold.

Now, his performance was strikingly similar to Simone Biles’ performance at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. With four gold medals at the previous Olympics in Brazil, the 28-year-old was the overwhelming favorite, but a situational mental block and immense pressure caused her to break down physically, a phenomenon known as the “twisties.”

Ilia also talked about a similar ‘inevitable crash’ when he felt incapable of controlling his body, and his mind was filled with negative thoughts right before his performance, leading to out-of-character mistakes on the ice.

Biles reached out to Ilia because she was in his shoes five years ago. Additionally, she saw him perform in Italy from the venue itself, applauding him despite the unimpressive outing. Nevertheless, this outing is set to be a learning experience for Ilia, who certainly has years ahead of him in his career.

Ilia Malinin reflects on his Olympic setback

Although Ilia failed to win the individual gold, he still walked out of the Winter Olympics with Team USA gold. Besides Biles, the 21-year-old skater was also a guest on the recent episode of the TODAY show, where he reflected on his performance and his first appearance at the Olympics.

“I think it was definitely mental,” Ilia said. “Finally experiencing that Olympic atmosphere, it’s crazy. It’s really different.”

He mentioned that he was extremely confident before getting on the ice, but the psychological strain ultimately overpowered his confidence. Despite the failure, it would certainly enhance his preparation for the next Winter Olympics, set to take place in the French Alps in 2030.

Although he fell short in the Olympics, his career accomplishments are still outstanding, given that he is a two-time World Champion. So, a single setback doesn’t take away the years of brilliance. After overcoming the Tokyo Olympics failure, Biles won the gold at the Paris Olympics. Drawing inspiration from the gymnast, Ilia hopes to follow the same path four years later.