(NEXSTAR) - United States figure skater Ilia Malinin finished in eighth place in the Men's Singles competition at the 2026 Winter Olympics. Malinin, the gold medal favorite known as the "Quad God," experienced multiple falls during his performance at the ice skating arena in Milan. Malinin attempted a high-difficulty routine featuring seven quadruple jumps, including a quadruple axel that would have been an Olympic first. While he fell short in the singles event, Malinin previously earned a gold medal during these Olympic Games in the team event for the United States. The 21-year-old first-time Olympian struggled throughout his free skate program. Malinin bailed on two of his planned jumps and fell during two others. The performance followed a successful practice session held earlier in the day. He noted that the pressure of the event is different from what many people understand. According to Malinin, thoughts and memories flooded his mind as he took his starting pose, which he said may have overwhelmed him. Fans leaving the arena expressed shock at the final standings. Victoria Burdman, a fan in attendance, said she felt heartbroken for the skater after his performance. "I started crying again now for Ilia. I just couldn't take it. I feel so bad," Burdman said. She noted that she expected his technical skills to carry him through the difficulties in the routine. "I was actually hoping with all his technical potential, even despite all the misfortunes with the program, that he would still be able, so I was very shocked with the result," she added. All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by Nexstar. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat from a broadcast script into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by Nexstar staff before being published