Figure skating’s biggest upset just unfolded at the 2026 Winter Olympics. Ilia Malinin, the American phenom known as the “Quad God,” fell twice during his performance, allowing Russia’s Mikhail Shaidorov to claim gold.
Malinin entered the competition as the overwhelming favorite. The 19-year-old had revolutionized the sport with his historic quadruple axel and near-flawless competition record. But under the Olympic spotlight, everything went wrong.
The falls came on two critical jump attempts. The first stumble shocked the crowd into silence. The second sealed his fate, dropping him off the podium entirely. Shaidorov, skating with clean technical execution and artistic brilliance, capitalized on the chaos to secure Russia’s first men’s figure skating gold since 2022.
Fast Facts:
- Ilia Malinin: Age 19, reigning World Champion, first skater to land quad axel in competition
- Mikhail Shaidorov: Age 21, previous personal best was 4th place at Worlds
- Final Score Gap: Shaidorov finished 15.8 points ahead of silver medalist
- Malinin’s Finish: 5th place overall after short and free skate combined
The skating world is reeling. Malinin had been nearly untouchable in the 2024-2025 season, winning every major competition. His technical arsenal—including five different quadruple jumps—made him seem invincible.
Sports analysts are already calling it one of the greatest collapses in Olympic figure skating history. The pressure of the Games, the weight of American expectations, and perhaps the ice conditions all contributed to the nightmare performance.
Why It Matters
This result reshapes the entire landscape of men’s figure skating. Malinin’s dominance had seemed unbreakable, but the Olympics proved that technical mastery alone can’t overcome nerves and circumstance.
For Shaidorov, it’s a career-defining moment—an opportunistic victory that will be remembered as both skillful execution and being in the right place when the favorite faltered. For Malinin, the question now becomes how the young champion bounces back from Olympic heartbreak.
The result also highlights figure skating’s unforgiving nature: one mistake can erase years of dominance in a single four-minute program.
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