Simone Biles Speaks Out After Ilia Malinin’s Shocking Olympic Falls And What She Did Behind The Scenes Says Everything
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In a moment that highlighted both compassion and lived experience, Olympic gymnastics icon Simone Biles addressed fellow U.S. standout Ilia Malinin’s unexpected struggles in the men’s individual figure skating event at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina. Malinin — widely known as the “Quad God” — arrived as a gold-medal favorite, but two uncharacteristic falls in the free skate flipped the script, leaving him in eighth place and stunning fans, analysts, and even his competitors.
As the world watched Malinin’s program unravel in real time, Biles responded with the kind of empathy that comes from knowing Olympic pressure up close. During the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, she faced her own highly publicized setback when she battled the twisties — a dangerous mental block that forced her to step back from multiple events, even as the overwhelming favorite. That history shaped the way she viewed Malinin’s moment: not as a headline, but as the human cost of performing under the heaviest expectations imaginable.
Appearing on the Today show in Milan shortly after Malinin’s performance, Biles said she made a point of reaching out — both privately and in person — to offer support. She didn’t share the details of what was said, but the message behind it was unmistakable: one difficult skate doesn’t define a career, and it shouldn’t define a person. “I’ve definitely had a chance to bump into him,” Biles said. “I’ve sent him messages on Instagram as well … because I know what he’s going through,” she explained, emphasizing that Malinin’s experience mirrored the kind of mental strain she once carried under the Olympic spotlight.
“Honestly, it’s not a pleasant feeling,” Malinin admitted, when asked about having all eyes on him at this Olympics. “The most honest way to say it is just a lot on you, so many eyes, so much attention not only from people, or fans, media, it’s just so much and it really can get to you if you’re not ready to fully embrace it.”
