JUST IN: American Skating Phenom Turns In Disastrous Performance In Olympics Final

 

(AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

In a heartbreaking turn of events at the Milan Olympics, U.S. figure skating star Ilia Malinin failed to medal after falling several times during the men’s figure skating finals on Friday.

Malinin ended up coming in eighth place, telling NBC, “I blew it, that’s honestly the first thing that came to my mind.”

Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Shaidorov took home the gold.

Malinin was nicknamed the “Quad God” for mastering all six types of quadruple jumps. He was the first skater ever to land a quadruple Axel in competition — a jump previously considered to be impossible to land.

Earlier this week, The Associated Press reported that the pressure of Malinin’s first Olympics “seemingly vanished following a team gold medal and a near-perfect short program to begin the men’s competition.”

The AP called Malinin “the surest thing in figure skating” after he beat Japan’s Shun Sato in a “head-to-head battle, clinching a second straight gold for the U.S. and giving him a boost of momentum.”

Malinin is a two-time reigning world champion.

This is a breaking story and may be updated.

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