What happened to Ilia Malinin? Quad God concerning TikTok posts triggers concerns among Olympic fans

American figure skater Ilia Malinin, known as the Quad God, had a major setback at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina. As per the New York Post, the biggest shocks of the 2026 Winter Olympics came when the 21-year-old fell twice during the men's free skate final on February 13, finishing in eighth place.

Days before competing in the men’s individual singles, Malinin helped secure gold for Team USA in the figure skating event. He had been unbeaten in senior international competitions since late 2023 and had reportedly won his past 14 events.

Following his loss in the Winter Olympics Ilia Malinin sparked concern among fans when he took to TikTok to repost several videos along with disheartening messages. One of the messages read:

“Sometimes I wish something bad would just happen to me so I don’t have to do it myself.”

Another read:

“Your little boy is tired, mom.”

Continue to read more.

Ilia Malinin’s TikTok post sparks concern among the Olympic fans

Ilia Malinin’s recent social media activity, especially on TikTok, drew widespread concerns from his fans when he posted several vulnerable messages following his eighth-place finish in the men’s singles at the 2026 Winter Olympics on February 13.

Fans quickly flooded his comments with encouragement. A user wrote:

“Ilia Malinin facing the cameras after the worst skate of his life — no excuses, no disappearing act, just honesty and accountability — is the kind of resilience you can’t choreograph. That’s champion energy even on a brutal night.”

Another chimed in:

“Despite being heralded as the Quad god, in the end, it was his humanity that won people’s hearts in this Olympics.”

A third user added:

“This guy is still a hero, he saved the US team getting everyone including himself a gold medal. He had an amazing Olympic moment and has nothing to be embarrassed or ashamed of.”

In an interaction with the media, Malinin expressed his feelings on the pressures of the Olympics and said:

“I blew it. The pressure of the Olympics really gets you. It's almost like I wasn't aware of where I was in the program... It just felt so overwhelming.”

He further told the reporters that he wasn’t able to comprehend what led to his free skate fall. He shared how, before the beginning of the competition, he had a good feeling and felt “solid.” According to People magazine, he said:

“Honestly, I still haven’t been able to process what just happened. It’s a lot of mixed emotions. Going into this competition, I felt really good. This whole day, I felt very solid, and I just thought that all I needed to do is go out there and trust the process that I’ve always been doing with every competition. But of course, it’s not like any other competition, it's the Olympics.”

Ilia Malinin's shocking eighth-place finish in the men's singles at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina has acted as a powerful motivator for him for his future participation in major events. Rather than deterring him, the setback appears to have fueled his determination to return stronger than before.

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A report in USA Today by journalist Christine Brennan indicated that Malinin has already committed to compete in the 2026 World Championships in Prague in March, where he aims to defend his title. The commitment was confirmed by Malinin’s agent, Ari Zakarian, who told NBC’s Philip Hersh in a text message.

He is also reported to participate in the Olympic figure skating exhibition gala which is scheduled to take place on February 21 at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina. Some reports indicated that Malinin is also expected to target the 2030 Winter Olympics in the French Alps.

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