“BEIJING… I WOULDN’T HAVE SKATED LIKE THAT.” — ‘QUAD GOD’ ILIA MALININ’S HOT-MIC LINE LEAKS AFTER A SHOCKING OLYMPIC NIGHT. No medal. No podium. And then one raw sentence caught on a hot mic — instantly freezing social media. Ilia Malinin arrived at Milano 2026 carrying enormous expectations, only to crash out to a stunning eighth-place finish after an uncharacteristic error-filled skate. He admitted the Olympics “aren’t like any other competition”… and then delivered the blunt line that’s now everywhere: “I blew it.” Now fans are asking: what really happened inside the ‘Quad God’s’ head that night — and what was that Beijing reference hinting at that most people missed?

Ilia Malinin has hot-mic moment after disappointing Olympics showing

Ilia Malinin wished he could go back four years.

The 21-year-old star Team USA ice skater had a rough showing Friday, with the “Quad God” shockingly finishing eighth and not medaling in the men’s free skate in an Olympic stunner.

In a hot-mic moment, Malinin reportedly lamented not having any prior Olympic experience.

Ilia Malinin reacting in the kiss and cry area after competing in the figure skating men's singles free skating final at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games.
Ilia Malinin had a hot-mic moment after Friday’s eighth-place finish.AFP via Getty Images

“Beijing, I would not have skated like that,” he said, according to USA Today.

The Beijing reference is in reference to the site of the 2022 Winter Olympic games, when he did not make

These games marked his first and came with boatloads of expectations that ultimately were not met.

He acknowledged that lack of experience when asked about his hot-mic moment.

“I felt really good this whole day, going really solid, and I just thought that I all I needed to do was go out there and trust the process that I’ve always been doing with every competition,” Malinin said, per USA Today. “But of course, it’s not like any other competitions, it’s the Olympics.”


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His emotional response Friday offered a different view on how that 2022 snub has affected him than what he’s offered in the past.

He previously told “CBS Sunday Morning” that not being included helped fuel his rise.

“To be honest, I think if it wasn’t for that decision, I don’t think I’d be here in this moment,” he said. “I feel like I would be, after ’26, I’d be done skating. I don’t think I’d be landing a quad axel or trying to really revolutionize the sport of just pushing the limits of my own capabilities or the sport in general.”

Ilia Malinin of the United States reacting after competing in the men's free skate program at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan.
Malinin fell twice during his performance Friday.AP

Even with that lack of prior experience, Malinin had a chance to earn a medal Friday before he fell twice during his performance and sealed his podium-less fate.

He admitted to his uneven showing being more of a mental issue than a physical one.

“I blew it,” he told NBC after going more than two years without being beat.

He will now have another four years to use this to fuel him.

Malinin told NBC: “I should take the stuff I learned from here and use it to my knowledge to see what I can do in the future for this not to happen.”

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