US skating sensation Ilia Malinin’s quest for Olympic gold crashed and burned on Friday night when he fell multiple times during the free skate of the men’s figure skating final in one of the most shocking moments of the Games.
The 21-year-old, who has earned the nickname the ‘Quad God’ for his impressive talent for quadruple jumps, had been the standout favorite to top the Olympic podium, with Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama expected to be his closest competitor.
Instead, he was trying to fight back tears after one of the worst nights of his career, one that left a star-packed crowd inside Milano Ice Arena sitting in stunned silence.
Malinin tumbled from a near-certain gold medal all the way to eighth place in the men’s single skating final in one of the most stunning collapses in Winter Olympic figure skating history.
After the two skaters in front of him, including Kagiyama, struggled, the path to gold appeared to be clear for Malinin.
Malinin, who led by a comfortable margin after the short program, merely had to deliver a mediocre performance to add individual gold to the gold medal he won in the team event.
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US skating sensation Ilia Malinin’s quest for Olympic gold crashed and burned on Friday night
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The 21-year-old fought back tears as he left the ice following a shocking collapse
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The American fell multiple times throughout his free skate program in the men’s skating final
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