{"id":5349,"date":"2026-02-19T01:20:42","date_gmt":"2026-02-18T16:20:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/allaboutenglishmastery.com\/?p=5349"},"modified":"2026-02-19T01:20:43","modified_gmt":"2026-02-18T16:20:43","slug":"ilia-malinin-falls-twice-olympic-eighth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/allaboutenglishmastery.com\/ko\/ilia-malinin-falls-twice-olympic-eighth\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Quad God\u2019 Ilia Malinin Falls Twice and Finishes Eighth"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u2018Quad God\u2019 Ilia Malinin Falls Twice and Finishes Eighth<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Intermediate | February 18, 2026<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

\u2728 \ud63c\uc790\uc11c \uae30\uc0ac\ub97c \uc18c\ub9ac \ub0b4\uc5b4 \uc77d\uac70\ub098 \ud29c\ud130\ub97c \ub530\ub77c \uac01 \ub2e8\ub77d\uc744 \ubc18\ubcf5\ud574\uc11c \uc77d\uc73c\uc138\uc694. \ub808\ubca8...<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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When \u201cGuaranteed Gold\u201d Suddenly Isn\u2019t<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Figure skating fans came into the men\u2019s final at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics<\/strong> expecting a coronation. Ilia Malinin<\/strong>, the 21-year-old American nicknamed the \u201cQuad God,\u201d was the clear favorite\u2014and he even held a lead after the short program. Then the free skate happened, and everything flipped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both Fox News<\/strong> and ESPN<\/strong> reported that Ilia Malinin falls twice<\/strong> during his free skate, and the result was one of the biggest surprises of the Games: he finished eighth overall<\/strong>, off the podium. (Fox News<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A Rough Program: Pops, Doubles, and Two Falls<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Fox News described how Malinin started with a quad flip<\/strong>, but then his jump plan unraveled\u2014he \u201csettled\u201d for a single axel<\/strong>, and later did a double loop instead of a quad loop<\/strong>. After that, Fox News said he fell on a quad lutz attempt<\/strong> and then fell again shortly after. (Fox News<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ESPN gave even more detail: Malinin bailed out<\/strong> of his famous quad axel<\/strong>, doubled a planned quad loop, and later fell on a quad lutz (which also cost him the second jump in the combination). They also reported his last jumping pass was supposed to be a quad salchow\u2013triple axel combination<\/strong>, but he fell again (ESPN<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Numbers That Made It Real<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When skaters make big mistakes, the scoreboard gets brutal fast. ESPN reported Malinin\u2019s free skate score was 156.33<\/strong>, which placed him 15th out of 24<\/strong> in that segment. His total score was 264.49<\/strong>, which locked in that stunning eighth-place finish<\/strong> overall. (ESPN<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And while Malinin struggled, Mikhail Shaidorov of Kazakhstan<\/strong> won Olympic gold, with Japan\u2019s Yuma Kagiyama<\/strong> and Shun Sato<\/strong> taking silver and bronze. (ESPN<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What Malinin Said: \u201cI Blew It\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Right after the skate, Malinin didn\u2019t hide behind excuses. Fox News quoted him reacting in disbelief and saying he couldn\u2019t process what happened, then adding: \u201cI blew it.\u201d<\/strong> (Fox News<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ESPN reported something even more human: Malinin said he was hit by overwhelming nerves before he started, and that negative thoughts flooded his mind. For a skater who had looked untouchable for years, the Olympics reminded everyone that the mental game can be as hard as the technical one. (ESPN<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Why This Story Matters (Even If You Don\u2019t Watch Skating)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This isn\u2019t just a sports story\u2014it\u2019s a performance story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In business (and in life), you can do everything right in training and still face a moment where the pressure hits differently. The lesson isn\u2019t \u201cnever fail.\u201d The lesson is: prepare, perform, adjust, and come back smarter<\/strong>. Malinin still showed sportsmanship\u2014ESPN reported he congratulated Shaidorov after the scores came in. That\u2019s a good reminder: even when you lose, you can still act like a pro. (ESPN<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Vocabulary<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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  1. Favorite<\/strong> (noun) \u2013 the person expected to win.
    Example:<\/em> \u201cMalinin was the favorite, but the final result surprised everyone.\u201d<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Podium<\/strong> (noun) \u2013 the top three places (gold, silver, bronze).
    Example:<\/em> \u201cHe missed the podium after a difficult free skate.\u201d<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Unravel<\/strong> (verb) \u2013 to fall apart or go wrong.
    Example:<\/em> \u201cHis jump plan began to unravel after the early mistake.\u201d<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Bail out<\/strong> (phrasal verb) \u2013 to stop mid-action to avoid a bigger mistake.
    Example:<\/em> \u201cHe bailed out of the quad axel and lost a lot of points.\u201d<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. Planned<\/strong> (adjective) \u2013 intended; expected.
    Example:<\/em> \u201cHe doubled a jump that was planned as a quad.\u201d<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  6. Segment<\/strong> (noun) \u2013 one part of a competition.
    Example:<\/em> \u201cHe placed 15th in the free skate segment.\u201d<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  7. Stunning<\/strong> (adjective) \u2013 shocking or surprising.
    Example:<\/em> \u201cThe eighth-place finish was stunning for a top contender.\u201d<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  8. Pressure<\/strong> (noun) \u2013 stress from expectations.
    Example:<\/em> \u201cOlympic pressure can affect even elite athletes.\u201d<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  9. Disbelief<\/strong> (noun) \u2013 the feeling that something is hard to believe.
    Example:<\/em> \u201cHe reacted with disbelief when the score was announced.\u201d<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  10. Sportsmanship<\/strong> (noun) \u2013 respectful behavior in competition.
    Example:<\/em> \u201cHe showed sportsmanship by congratulating the winner.\u201d<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
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    Discussion Questions (About the Article)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
      \n
    1. What went wrong during Malinin\u2019s free skate?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    2. Which detail surprised you most (the bail-out, the doubles, the scores, or the final rank)?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    3. Why do you think Ilia Malinin falls twice<\/strong> in such a high-pressure moment?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    4. How do the numbers (156.33, 264.49, 15th in the segment) help you understand the result?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    5. What does his reaction (\u201cI blew it\u201d) tell you about his mindset?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
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      Discussion Questions (About the Topic)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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      1. Have you ever \u201cchoked\u201d under pressure? What happened, and what did you learn?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      2. Do you think pressure helps performance or hurts it more often? Why?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      3. What habits help people stay calm during important moments (interviews, exams, presentations)?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      4. In your job or school life, what would \u201csportsmanship\u201d look like after a failure?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      5. How should people respond to public criticism after a mistake?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
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        Related Idiom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

        \u201cThe wheels came off\u201d<\/strong> \u2013 a situation suddenly goes wrong or falls apart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Example:<\/em> \u201cAfter the early mistake, the wheels came off and the rest of the program became a battle.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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