Ilia Malinin has priceless reaction to title-winning redemption skate
Ilia Malinin is making up for a lackluster showing in the 2026 Olympics in a big way.
Ilia Malinin entered the 2026 Olympics as the preeminent favorite in men's figure skating. A gold looked probable while a medal seemed all but certain. Nobody could've predicted what transpired next.
Malinin, a two-time world champion who hadn't lost since 2023, crumbled under the Olympic pressure and finished eighth. He fell twice during his free skate, and despite being known as the "Quad God" he didn't land a single quad axel. "I just felt like all the ...
traumatic moments of my life really just started flooding my head, and there were just so many negative thoughts that just flooded into there," Malinin said at the time, per ESPN . "And I just did not handle it. " Malinin got his redemption this week.
The 21-year-old captured his third consecutive ISU World Figure Skating title with a stunning short program, and his jubilant reaction will put a smile on your face. Ilia Malinin's FULL free skate for a HISTORIC three-peat at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships. š„ pic.