Quad God's Olympic Dream Shattered as Shaidorov Seizes Gold in Milan
Figure skating's self-proclaimed 'Quad God' Ilia Malinin suffered a catastrophic collapse on Friday evening, plummeting from gold medal contention to a shocking eighth-place finish in the men's singles competition at the Milan Olympics. In a dramatic reversal of fortune, Kazakhstan's Mikhail Shaidorov emerged from relative obscurity to claim the Olympic title, completing one of the most unexpected victories in recent sporting memory.
Malinin's Historic Ambition Ends in Disaster
Entering the free skate segment with a commanding five-point lead over his rivals, American sensation Ilia Malinin had audaciously planned to make history by becoming the first skater ever to successfully land seven quadruple jumps in a single Olympic routine. The 21-year-old, unbeaten in all competitions for over two consecutive years, appeared poised for coronation as he took to the ice with gold seemingly within his grasp.
Instead, Malinin's performance spectacularly unraveled before a stunned global audience. His signature quad axel—a jump only he has mastered—degraded to a mere single rotation. His quad loop became a double, and he suffered falls on both his lutz and salchow attempts. Ultimately, Malinin managed to complete just three of his planned seven quads, a catastrophic shortfall that sent him tumbling down the standings.
"I blew it," an emotional Malinin confessed to NBC in the aftermath, his voice trembling with disappointment as he left the ice in tears. This marked a devastating conclusion to his Olympic cycle, particularly poignant given his failure to qualify for the 2022 Olympic team when compatriot Nathan Chen made history by landing five quads in his gold-winning 'Rocket Man' routine.
Shaidorov's Improbable Triumph
While Malinin faltered, Mikhail Shaidorov executed a flawless performance that propelled him from fifth place—over fifteen points behind the leader—to the top of the podium. The Kazakh skater, considered a 100-1 outsider to overcome such a deficit, appeared shell-shocked as he realized he had become Olympic champion. Shaidorov's routine featured five perfectly executed quadruple jumps, a technical achievement that would have been considered merely competitive in the current era but proved sufficient as his rivals crumbled around him.
Shaidorov then watched from the sidelines as one contender after another failed to match his score. France's Adam Siao Him Fa, starting the free skate in third position, fell twice during his routine and slid down the standings. Japan's Yuma Kagiyama managed to cling to the silver medal despite two falls of his own, while Shun Sato leaped from ninth place to claim an unexpected bronze on this unforgettable night of Olympic drama.
The evening's events underscored the unpredictable nature of elite figure skating, where technical ambition must be balanced with consistency under pressure. Malinin's quest for historic greatness ultimately proved his undoing, while Shaidorov's steady, clean performance demonstrated that sometimes reliability trumps audacity in the pursuit of Olympic glory.
