U.S. determine skater Ilia Malinin highlights social media risks in gala efficiency

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Ilia Malinin delivered a strong message concerning the risks of social media and the unforgiving glare of the highlight with an emotional gala efficiency on Saturday to shut the determine skating program on the Milano Cortina Video games.

Barely per week on from his shock eighth-place end in a males's singles occasion he had been anticipated to dominate, the American turned the ice right into a quiet rebuttal of criticism and scrutiny.

Skating to Worry by American rapper NF — a uncooked music about psychological well being struggles and the sensation of dropping management — and wearing a gray hoodie and frayed denims, the 21-year-old made it appear like he was scrolling via his cellphone.

He flinched underneath imaginary flashbulbs. He crouched down and pulled his hood over his head.

Malinin and American teammate Alysa Liu, the ladies's champion, had been among the many headliners on the sport's conventional remaining bow that celebrates the celebrities of the earlier two weeks.

WATCH | Liu ends U.S. ladies's gold drought: Alysa Liu ends U.S. gold drought in ladies’s determine skating

American Alysa Liu captured gold in ladies’s determine skating at Milano Cortina 2026, ending a greater than two-decade drought for america within the occasion. Japan’s Kaori Sakamoto and Ami Nakai claimed silver and bronze to spherical out the rostrum. Asher Hill, host of That Determine Skating Present, recaps the most important moments from the ladies's free skate. Malinin had arrived in Milan as one of many overwhelming favorites for gold — amongst all of the sports activities — having not misplaced in additional than two seasons.

However the double world champion crumbled underneath the burden of Olympic expectations, and his free program unraveled in beautiful style as he suffered two falls and nailed solely three of his deliberate seven quadruple jumps.

He mentioned in an Instagram publish earlier this week that his pressure-packed Olympic debut resulted in an "inevitable crash."

In Saturday's exhibition, he did one quadruple leap after which unleashed his trademark backflip with a one-footed touchdown and had the gang on its ft roaring with what felt like each an appreciation of his expertise and acknowledgement of the burden he had carried.

<img loading="lazy" alt="A figure skater waves to the audience." srcset="https://i.cbc.ca/ais/8aed9167-8f17-4ac2-880b-a33ca2d75a28,1771716345769/full/max/0/default.jpg?im=Crop%2Crect%3D%280%2C0%2C5200%2C3467%29%3BResize%3D796 796w,https://i.cbc.ca/ais/8aed9167-8f17-4ac2-880b-a33ca2d75a28,1771716345769/full/max/0/default.jpg?im=Crop%2Crect%3D%280%2C0%2C5200%2C3467%29%3BResize%3D1083 1083w,https://i.cbc.ca/ais/8aed9167-8f17-4ac2-880b-a33ca2d75a28,1771716345769/full/max/0/default.jpg?im=Crop%2Crect%3D%280%2C0%2C5200%2C3467%29%3BResize%3D1280 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 762px) calc(100vw - 32px),730px" src="https://i.cbc.ca/ais/8aed9167-8f17-4ac2-880b-a33ca2d75a28,1771716345769/full/max/0/default.jpg?im=Crop%2Crect%3D%280%2C0%2C5200%2C3467%29%3B" style="aspect-ratio:1.499855783097779" data-cy="image-img"/> Malinin waves to the gang following his efficiency on Saturday. (Ashley Landis/The Related Press) In a strong program ending, he made like he was tugging on headphones, to instant silence.

The 20-year-old Liu, in the meantime, delighted the gang along with her carefree skate to Stateside by PinkPantheress and Zara Larsson.

Liu's Olympics couldn't have been extra completely different than Malinin's, punctuated by a pleasure rediscovered after stepping away from the game for 2 years.

She mentioned she was at "peak happiness" competing.

Ice dance gold medallists Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron of France skated a lyrical program to piano composition Mad Rush, whereas pairs champions Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara of Japan skated to Justin Timberlake's Cannot Cease the Feeling.

Shock males's singles champion Mikhail Shaidorov of Kazakhstan dressed up as Kung Fu Panda and was greeted afterward by martial artist and actor Jackie Chan.