Ilia Malinin entered the men’s free skate at the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics with a five-point lead and the highest planned technical content in the field. He left the ice Friday night in eighth place.
The 21-year-old American fell twice during his free skate, a performance that reshaped the standings and ended a two-plus year unbeaten streak spanning 14 full competitions. Malinin finished with 264.49 points overall after leading the short program earlier in the week.
