Ilia Malinin 'fighting invisible battles,' teases figure skating show

When is Malinin's exhibition gala performance?

How did Malinin's performance impact Olympic mental health discourse?

What caused Malinin's free skate errors at the Olympics?

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MILAN — Ilia Malinin made his first public statement since his devastating finish in the men's singles figure skating competition at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

The 21-year-old posted on Instagram on Monday, Feb. 16 with a statement on mental health. The post was accompanied with a video of Malinin celebrating his victories and him sitting with his hands on his head.

"On the world’s biggest stage, those who appear the strongest may still be fighting invisible battles on the inside. Even your happiest memories can end up tainted by the noise," he wrote. "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. It all builds up as these moments flash before your eyes, resulting in an inevitable crash. This is that version of the story."

The post teases something "coming February 21, 2026." It likely indicates Malinin has something special planned for the figure exhibition gala, which takes place that day and he will be part of, USA TODAY Sports confirmed.

Malinin was the heavy gold medal favorite in men's figure skating and had a lead going into the free skate. However, he suffered several falls and mistakes, resulting in a stunning eighth place finish for his first non-first place finish in more than two years.

The performance of the "Quad God" has reignited the conversation around pressure and mental health in the Olympics, as it can be a nerve-wracking feeling on the world's biggest stage. Malinin told reporters after the performance that before the skate, he felt like "all the traumatic moments of my life really just started flooding my head."

“People only realized the pressure and the nerves that actually happened from the inside. It was really just something that overwhelmed me,” he said. "I just felt like I had no control."