Malinin hints at "inevitable crash" amid Olympic pressure, online hate

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Ilia Malinin, Team USA's "Quad God" prima fig skater and existent satellite champion, shared a video connected societal media Monday that included highlights, and immoderate lowlights, of his contention truthful acold successful the 2026 Winter Olympics successful Italy — speaking straight astir the immense unit faced by athletes astatine the apical of their sports.

Malinin posted the video 3 days aft helium finished a disappointing eighth successful the idiosyncratic men's lawsuit astatine the Milano Cortina Winter Games. Heavily favored to triumph a golden medal successful the event, Malinin fell aggregate times and failed to execute his signature quadruple axel successful the escaped skate information of the competition.

After failing to marque the podium, Malinin acknowledged the unit of competing successful the Olympics, but said helium was arrogant to finish.

"All I cognize is that it wasn't my champion skate, and it was decidedly thing I wasn't expecting. And it's done, truthful I can't spell backmost and alteration it, adjacent though I would emotion to," Malinin said to reporters aft his show connected Friday.

On Monday, Malinin shared the video connected his Instagram leafage that included images of his triumphs — including his golden medal in the squad event past week — juxtaposed with a black-and-white representation of him with his caput successful his hands.

The video teased that a "version of the story" was to travel connected Saturday, erstwhile he's scheduled to skate again successful an accumulation lawsuit astatine the extremity of the Games, but it didn't supply immoderate further information.

"On the world's biggest stage, those who look the strongest whitethorn inactive beryllium warring invisible battles connected the inside," Malinin, 21, said Monday successful a connection that accompanied his video connected Instagram. "Even your happiest memories tin extremity up tainted by the noise. Vile online hatred attacks the caput and fearfulness lures it into the darkness, nary substance however hard you effort to enactment sane done the endless insurmountable pressure. It each builds up arsenic these moments flash earlier your eyes, resulting successful an inevitable crash."

Given that pressure, Team USA says it aims to limb athletes with tools for their intelligence wellness earlier they adjacent compete.

Dr. Jessica Bartley, elder manager of intelligence services for the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee, told CBS News the unit connected athletes erstwhile they marque it to the level of the Games is connected different level owed to the lawsuit lone coming each 4 years, and the sheer size of the crowds and the venues successful examination to different competitions.

She says the absorption for squad leaders is connected preparing first-time Olympians, truthful they astatine slightest cognize what to expect.

"We're trying to get veterans involved, who've been determination before, who tin speech to them," she told CBS News. "So, it whitethorn consciousness similar the archetypal time, but we locomotion them done a batch of the nuance of what this is gonna look similar good earlier it happens."

But Gracie Gold, a erstwhile U.S. fig skater and Olympic bronze medalist who has openly shared her struggles with intelligence health, said contempt immoderate preparation, erstwhile the lights are connected and you measurement retired successful beforehand of the crowds, it tin beryllium a uniquely isolating acquisition — and that lone gets much aggravated successful the moments erstwhile things don't spell according to plans and expectations.

"You're unsocial successful a way," she told CBS News. "Sometimes I telephone it the aquarium effect, wherever you're like, successful the tank, and everyone's like, staring. When worldly starts to spell wrong, that's not precisely an situation that's conducive for calmness."

Gold said there's nary close oregon incorrect mode to grip the benignant of concern Malinin recovered himself successful connected the crystal Friday. The close way, she said, is immoderate volition marque the jock consciousness amended and, astir importantly, consciousness harmless again.

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

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