Former Olympians Rally Around Malinin After Shattering Defeat

Ilia Malinin of Team United States reacts at the end of his free skate while competing in the Men Single Skating on day seven of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Ice Skating Arena in Milan, Italy, on Feb. 13, 2026. Yara Nardi/Reuters

MILAN—U.S. Olympic greats including Scott Hamilton and Apolo Ohno offered words of encouragement to figure skater Ilia Malinin on Saturday after his disastrous performance on his Games debut.

The 21-year-old American double world champion and red-hot favorite finished eighth after a free program on Friday that fell apart in spectacular fashion.