MILAN, Italy, Feb 14, (V7N) – American figure skating sensation Ilia Malinin’s bid for a historic double Olympic gold ended in dramatic fashion on Friday after a disastrous free skate saw him tumble out of medal contention at the Milano Ice Skating Arena.

Widely tipped to clinch the men’s individual title following a dominant short programme, the 21-year-old faltered under pressure, finishing eighth overall after an error-filled routine that stunned spectators. Malinin, who fell twice during his performance, later admitted the collapse was largely psychological, saying he was “too confident” heading into the decisive skate.

Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Shaidorov capitalised on the upset to secure a sensational Olympic gold with 291.58 points, while Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama claimed silver with 280.06 points. Malinin’s final score of 264.49 marked the end of his two-year unbeaten streak and denied him a second gold after his earlier team triumph.

Heraskevych Appeal Rejected

In a separate development, Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych lost his appeal against a ban from the Milan-Cortina Winter Games. The Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld the decision to disqualify him over a helmet featuring images of Ukrainian athletes killed since the 2022 Russian invasion, citing Olympic rules on political neutrality during competition.

Olympic authorities had earlier proposed a compromise, including the use of a plain black armband, but the athlete refused to remove the helmet. CAS Secretary General Matthieu Reeb reiterated that while freedom of expression is respected, political displays on the field of play remain prohibited.

Heraskevych described the ruling as “frustrating” and later presented the helmet to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, maintaining the decision was discriminatory.

Klaebo Equals Record, More Drama Across Events

Norwegian cross-country star Johannes Klaebo matched the Winter Olympics record of eight gold medals by winning the men’s 10km time trial, marking his third gold of the 2026 Games.

In snowboarding, Japan’s Yuto Totsuka denied Australian veteran Scotty James a long-awaited Olympic gold in a gripping men’s halfpipe final. James, competing in his fifth Winter Olympics, fell late in his run despite being in medal-winning form and later vowed to return for the 2030 Games.

Meanwhile, Great Britain celebrated a milestone as Matt Weston clinched the country’s first medal of the Games by winning the men’s skeleton title, adding to a day packed with major upsets and historic achievements in Milan-Cortina.

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