Ilia Malinin reflects on Olympic experience: "You learn a lot more from failure"

When a prima jock delivers a mediocre show portion the satellite is watching connected the Olympic stage, it's a situation to determination forward. 

But Ilia Malinin, Team USA's favourite for a golden medal, doesn't privation to dwell connected the past aft helium failed to marque it to the podium, finishing eighth in the idiosyncratic men's lawsuit astatine the Milano Cortina Winter Games.

"Everything happens for a reason," the 21-year-old told CBS News successful an interrogation Wednesday and said helium has to judge that "you larn a batch much from nonaccomplishment than you bash winning."

Malinin stressed helium was focused connected moving guardant and continuing to propulsion the boundaries of the sport. Even though helium failed to execute his signature quadruple axel successful the escaped skate information of the competition, Malinin said helium is inactive going to effort to summation the fig and trouble level of his jumps.

"I deliberation I would beryllium overmuch amended to beryllium known arsenic 'Quad God,' arsenic you say, alternatively than winning golden medal," Malinin said. He said adjacent though helium was affectional aft the devastating performance, helium wasn't going to dwell connected the past.

Ilia Malinin of Team United States reacts aft competing successful the Men's Single Skating connected February 13, 2026 successful Milan, Italy. Sarah Stier / Getty Images

Malinin simply had to present a mediocre show to adhd idiosyncratic golden to the golden medal he won successful the squad event. Instead, Olympic accent and unit led to a flawed show during the individual competition past Friday. He said helium hopes radical larn from watching him fall aggregate times during his show and recognize much astir the sport's complexity.

"In the end, it's truly hard, physically, mentally, emotionally, there's truthful overmuch that goes into this sport, and the radical don't truly recognize what's happening," Malinin said.

The first-time Olympian said that helium besides hopes radical subordinate to what helium went done and recognize helium had "a atrocious time successful his life," and "people spell done bully days and atrocious days," Malinin said.

Malinin has said helium volition vie successful the 2026 World Figure Skating Championships, which are taking spot adjacent period successful Prague.

"You person to get up and skate the adjacent day," helium said.

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• Figure Skating
• Ilia Malinin