Fans have begun to worry about Ilia Malinin, who reposted some emotionally concerning videos on TikTok following his stunning loss in the free skate at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Nicknamed the “Quad God” for his signature quadruple jumps, the 21-year-old U.S. figure skating phenom was seemingly a shoo-in to capture the men’s single skating gold on Friday night — until he fell twice and missed the podium entirely, settling for an eighth-place finish.
Malinin, who had won his last 14 events — including a pair of world championships — fought back tears on the ice before bluntly assessing his disheartening performance.
“I blew it,” he told NBC.
Malinin said after the race that his mind was all over the place as he took the ice — scrambled by a “flood” of personal memories and staggering pressure from his first Olympic Games — which he believed might have overwhelmed him and blurred his focus.
Amid the fallout from his loss, Malinin’s mental state seemingly deteriorated further after he reposted several videos on his TikTok account with increasingly vulnerable messaging.
“Sometimes I wish something bad would just happen to me so I don’t have to do it myself,” one said.
Another added: “Your little boy is tired, mom.”
Malinin also shared videos from an account called “Healing Letters,” which writes messages down in a book.
“When I get home and step into my room and my eyes start watering because no one knows how hard I’m truly trying,” one said.
The distressing behavior was quickly flagged by his 365K followers — many of whom rallied for an outpour of support toward the young American from Virginia.
“YOU DID SO WELL ILIA, YOU ARE INCREDIBLE!!!!! I LOVE YOU,” one user wrote.
Another added: “Ilia 🙁 I Hope he is okay…”
“You are still a champion, Ilia Malinin. One result doesn’t define your talent or your strength. We’re proud of you no matter what place you take. Keep going – your time to shine is always ahead. You are the best,” said one more.
Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Shaidorov finished with a career-best 291.58 points to win the gold medal, his nation’s first of the Games.
Malinin, who regularly scores in the 300s, landed in eighth with just 264.49 points after his costly falls.
