Figure Skater Alien Malinin Falters in Grand Prix Final. Olympic Gold at Risk?

Ilya Malinin is the strongest figure skater in history. The American pushes the boundaries of what is possible, competes in his own league, and wins everywhere he participates. For this reason, many fans have already mentally awarded him the gold medal at the upcoming 2026 Olympics. However, as it turns out, Ilya is not a robot, but a regular human who can also make mistakes. Malinin dramatically failed in the ISU Grand Prix final. Is he getting nervous before the Olympics? Errors by Malinin The 2026 Olympics are still two months away, and many fans have long had no doubts about who will take the gold in men’s single skating. American skater of Russian origin Ilya Malinin won the two previous ISU Grand Prix finals and two world championships. Everywhere the athlete competed, he had no opponents of the same level. It might have seemed like he was not a human at all, but a robot who knew no fatigue or nerves. But it turned out that Malinin is just like any other human. In the ISU Grand Prix final held in Japan, Ilya made gross errors in the short program. He missed the quadruple axel, which led to a failed combo. And then the quad lutz combo did not go as planned. Malinin managed to avoid falls, but the stepout and under rotations led to him losing points. Scoring 94.05 is generally a good score for almost anyone, but not for Ilya. He looked disappointed on the ice and became even more dejected when he saw the scores, as he not only struggled with his own program but also gave his competitor a lead of 14 points. Yuma Kagiyama from Japan scored 108.77 points on home ice, and another Japanese skater, Shun Sato, was ahead with 98.06. Experiments or nerves? Malinin’s problems in a single tournament are not the main issue. He can very well make up for the setback, although the free program must be flawless. The judges are unlikely to cheat the Japanese skater in Japan under normal circumstances. And losing in the Grand Prix final will not be a major tragedy. But what if this is not a coincidence, but serious problems on the eve of the main event in his career? The 21-year-old skater has not participated in the Olympics before, and perhaps this fact is making him very nervous. Of course, it can be assumed that Malinin is simply bored without serious competition, so he decided to experiment with jumps not at some minor tournament but right in the Grand Prix final. However, judging by Ilya’s reaction, the failure on the ice affected him, so it is unlikely that boredom is the issue. What does this all mean in practical terms for Malinin’s competitors, including Russian skater Petr Gumennik? It is possible to beat the American skater in a single tournament. Yes, there is still the free program ahead, so the Grand Prix final can be saved. But if it is about nerves, even the world’s strongest skater can fail at the Olympics, especially with an incredibly difficult set of jumps. Therefore, it is definitely not advisable to prematurely award the Olympic gold to the American.