Ilia Malinin’s Olympic Fall Reveals Gaps in America’s Figure Skating Dominance

In a stunning turn of events at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, American figure skater Ilia Malinin, once hailed as the nation's soaring star, faltered dramatically with two falls during his free skate routine. What should have been a crowning moment of victory instead saw him tumble off the podium altogether, handing gold to Kazakhstan's Mikhail Shaidorov. How Did America’s Figure Skating Promise Slip Away? Malinin arrived in Milan as a symbol of American athletic excellence—hardworking, innovative, and pushing the boundaries with daring jumps like his spectacular back flips. Yet on this global stage, where national pride is on...