Ilia Malinin is working through “the darkness” in the days after he shocked the world with his performance in the Olympic men’s figure skating final.

The 21-year-old American skater shared an Instagram post about dealing with “vile online hatred” and “insurmountable pressure” on Monday, Feb. 16, four days after he struggled through his free skate program at the 2026 Winter Olympics on Friday.

“On the world’s biggest stage, those who appear the strongest may still be fighting invisible battles on the inside,” Malinin began his post. “Even your happiest memories can end up tainted by the noise. Vile online hatred attacks the mind and fear lures it into the darkness, no matter how hard you try to stay sane through the endless insurmountable pressure.”

The post included a video of Malinin in moments of joy — winning gold at a past ISU Grand Prix, and at the 2024 World Figure Skating Championships in Montreal — interspersed with black-and-white video of him upset and holding his head in his hands.

“It all builds up as these moments flash before your eyes, resulting in an inevitable crash,” he continued. “This is that version of the story.”

Malinin then teased, “Coming February 21, 2026.” The date is in line with the Olympics figure skating exhibition gala, a special performance at the end of each Olympics Games that typically features the sport’s medalists.

Though Malinin did not medal in the men’s individual event, finishing eighth overall, he did win gold along with Team USA in the team competition and plans to perform in the gala, USA Today‘s Christine Brennan reported Sunday.

Malinin came into the Olympics undefeated over the last two and a half years and favored for gold in the men’s figure skating competition. He finished first in the short program last Tuesday with a five-point lead going into the free skating event three days later, and gold appeared to be in sight when most of his competition fell during their programs.

“Honestly, that was the first thing that came to my mind,” he said. “I have no words, honestly.”

Malinin told reporters, including PEOPLE, after that he had come to realize over the first week of the Games that Olympic ice brings added pressure.

“It’s not like any other competition. It’s the Olympics, and I think people only realize the pressure in the nerves that actually happen from the inside, so it was really just something that overwhelmed me and I just felt like I had no control.”

 

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