'I know that he’s going to be OK,' Naumov said.
It was quite the shock on Friday when Ilia Malinin, the so-called "Quad God" and much-hyped U.S. figure skater, failed to medal in the men's free skate following a mistake-laden performance. But it was less of a shock when, on Monday,speaking with NBC's TODAY .
“His performance and what he did on the ice that day in the free program, it doesn’t define him. In those moments, it’s how you respond, and knowing him, I know that he’s going to be OK.” Malinin, who, ahead of the event, appeared primed to win his first individual gold medal, ultimately finished Friday's free skate in eighth place. The 21-year-old fell multiple times during his program and did not perform the signature trick from which his nickname is derived. Rather than claim the top prize, as was expected, the young star appeared visibly rattled as he left the ice, and Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Shaidorov ended at the top of the podium, instead. The Quad God shared a bit more about what he was going through when he posted a montage , citing "invisible battles," the noise of international competition and "insurmountable pressure" in a long caption. It was his first post since the shock finish. Even with the negative noise, however, Naumov made clear to TODAY on Monday that the skating community is just as impressed with and supportive of the Quad God as ever, and that as long as they've got him, he'll never skate alone.Those hoping to see Malinin take to the Olympic ice once again are in luck—although he did not medal, he is stillBrigid Kennedy is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in November 2024, she covered political news, sporting news and culture at TheWeek.com before moving to Livingetc, an interior design magazine. She is a graduate of Syracuse University, dual majoring in television, radio and film and marketing managment . Offline, she enjoys going to the movies, reading and watching the Steelers.
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