© Katie Stratman/Imagn
Superstar figure skater Ilia Malinin stole the show for all the wrong reasons for Team USAat the 2026 Winter Olympics Milano-Cortina. But he may have just been let off the hook.
Malinin, the self-dubbed “quad god,” entered the men’s figure skating competition as the overwhelming favorite and two-time defending world champion. However, the 21-year-old stunningly fell several times in his free skate and failed to even make the podium, finishing in eighth position.
It was, by far, the biggest choke job of the games for Team USA, even considering Mikaela Shiffrin’s letdown in the team combined skiing event.
However, that’s no longer the case.
Team USA Speed Skating Loses Men’s Pursuit In Brutal Fashion
The three-man team of Casey Dawson, Emery Lehman, and Ethan Cepuran had absolutely dominated the men’s team pursuit speed skating race in the last year.
The trio, which holds the world record, entered the Olympic Games on a six-race win streak, with no win coming by less than two seconds.
They were the overwhelming favorite to take over gold in the event…
…And then they didn’t.
After losing to Italy in the qualifying round, Team USA still entered the semifinals as the second seed. The trio cruised past China in the semifinals, although, given the short break between the semifinals and medal round, the Chinese likely did not push as hard as they could.
In the final, Team USA got off to a solid start, building a nearly one-second lead halfway through. Then things came apart.
Malinin levels of “blew it” here.
WR holders, undefeated all year, three guys who prioritize this race above all and they lose twice to Italy by a combined six seconds beating a sandbagging China in-between.
Not a silver to celebrate. #TeamUSA #MilanCortina2026 https://t.co/lqF10Etdri
— Dan Barwick (@Barwickipedia) February 17, 2026
The Italians absolutely destroyed the U.S. over the back half of the race, taking more than five seconds out of their time and cruising to victory.
It wasn’t just that Team USA got upset. It got absolutely embarrassed after dominating the rest of the world for the last year. In comparison, Malinin’s loss looks like a mere matter of bad luck.