Ilia Malinin opens up on 'thoughts and memories' ahead of shocking Olympic falls: 'I've been through a lot'

A judging controversy erupts at the Winter Olympics after a French judge was accused of giving a boosted score to the home country in the ice dance final, potentially costing Team USA gold.

U.S. men's figure skater Ilia Malinin revealed his mind became flooded with "thoughts and memories" before his performance in the men's free skate final at the Winter Olympics Friday. 

Malinin, a top contender to win gold for the U.S., surprisingly fell twice during his routine. He fell all the way to eighth place and missed out on the podium. 

"I just had so many thoughts and memories flood right before I got into my starting pose, and almost, I think, it maybe overwhelmed me a little bit. I've been through a lot in my life, a lot of bad and good experiences," Malinin told NBC Washington in a reporter scrum after the competition.

"So, I just feel like it's the pressure of especially being that Olympic gold medal hopeful. It was just something I can't control now."

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Ilia Malinin of the United States competes during the men's free skate program in figure skating at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, Feb. 13, 2026. (Ashley Landis/AP Photo)

Malinin emphasized the impact of the "pressure of the Olympics" in his first ever Olympic games.

"The pressure of the Olympics, it's really something different, and I think not a lot of people understand that. They only understand that from the inside and going into this competition, especially today, I felt really confident, really good," he said. "But it really just went by so fast I did not have time to process." 

Malinin took solace in knowing he will return to the U.S. with the team gold medal he helped contribute to earlier in the week