If there's an American Olympic athlete who can relate to what Ilia Malinin went through on Friday, Feb. 13, it would be Simone Biles.
Malinin — nicknamed "The Quad God" — entered the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics as the favorite in the men's figure skating competition — he was a two-time reigning world champion and four-time U.S. national champion. But, there's a different level of pressure to perform on the Olympic stage. Malinin's long program turned into a nightmare, and the skater finished outside of the medals in eighth place.
At the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, Biles — a seven-time Olympic gold medalist — entered those Games with expectations to win five gold medals, only to struggle with the "twisties" and withdraw from some events. She went home with silver (team event) and bronze (balance beam) medals.
Biles was in attendance at Milano Ice Skating Arena for Malinin's disappointing long program on Feb. 13, after which Malinin admitted that he "was not ready to handle" the Olympic pressure.
In the aftermath of Malinin's upsetting performance, Biles was among a number of notable athletes who reached out to him, and the two spoke on Tuesday, Feb. 17.
