Ilia Malinin is a week away from competing for the first time since his collapse at the Winter Olympic Games, and he’s not shying away from the pressure.
The “Quad God” had the worst performance of his career in the biggest moment during the men’s individual figure skating competition at the Olympics. As the leader heading into the free skate segment, all he needed to do was skate clean, and like close friend Alysa Liu, he would have left Milan, Italy, with double golds.
Yet, it wasn’t meant to be, as Malinin stumbled and crashed down to Earth, losing his first contest in over two years and breaking his aura of invincibility.
But as he looks to go for a third-straight men’s world championship next week in Prague, the loss in the Olympics might have been the best thing to happen to the 21-year-old.
At a fan meet-up in his home state of Virginia, Malinin opened up about his mindset heading into Worlds.
“It’s been so much fun,” Malinin answered about the added attention he’s received since the Olympics, skyrocketing past one million followers on Instagram. “Of course, with everything that happened in the Olympics, it’s something that is part of the sport. It’s part of what we do, and we just have to, you know, get back up and keep going.
“Coming here, I feel like a whole different person. … The fame is really something incredible and I’m really grateful for.”
When asked by a local interviewer whether the loss at the Olympics made him rethink competing, Malinin said he would move forward from the experience. He loves figure skating, and that’s all he can do now, with so many new eyes on him, is keep trying his best at the highest level.
While Malinin will have a chance at a three-peat, he won’t have a chance to gain a bit of revenge against Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Shaidorov. The reigning gold medalist and Malinin’s friend dropped out of the World Championships following a strenuous Olympics.
He is not the only individual gold medalist to drop from Worlds, as Liu did the same on the women’s side after her new media and brand commitments following a historic Games.