Ilia Malinin Called the Olympics His ‘Worst Day’ and His Electric Return in Everett Has Everyone Talking

Ilia Malinin, the guy nicknamed “Quad God” because he is practically redefining figure skating, did not just stumble at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan. He crashed hard, like, *really* hard. The dude who was favored for gold did not even sniff the podium, finishing eighth after a free skate performance he is now calling “the worst day of my life.” Yeah, you read that right.

The Weight of Gold, The Agony of Defeat

Can you imagine the pressure? This kid, a generational talent, goes into the Olympics expected to land jumps nobody else even attempts, to just totally dominate. But he fell *twice* during his four-minute performance, making several glaring mistakes. It was rough, man. Mikhail Shaidorov from Kazakhstan took home the gold, and Malinin was left picking up the pieces. He later told the Associated Press, through Dave Skretta, that he just did not know “how to handle” that Olympic pressure, that it completely wore him down. It just shows you, even the “Quad God” is human sometimes. That had to sting.

From Rock Bottom to Redemption, Up North

But here is the thing about true competitors, right? They do not stay down for long. A month after that Olympic disaster, Malinin went out and won his *third consecutive world championship*. Talk about a bounce back! He told everyone, “Even if I won the Olympics, I would have wanted to go to the world championships, because I love the sport so much. That also leads into why I wanted to skate this season. I just love the sport of figure skating so much.” That is the heart you want to see. And get this: our guy, the “Quad God,” just made his Grand Prix season debut on Friday right here at Skate America in Everett, Washington. He absolutely crushed it, scoring 96.74 points, easily beating Japan’s Sota Yamamoto who came in second with 91.29 points. That is a statement performance, especially in our own backyard.

The season just kicked off, and Malinin is clearly out to prove that the Olympics were an anomaly, not the new normal. We saw that fire, that pure love for the sport, right here in the Emerald City’s backyard. He is back on top, and this early win in Everett shows he is not just good, he is *elite* and ready to dominate. Get ready, the “Quad God” is officially back.

This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.

Originally reported by Bleacher Report.