(NEXSTAR) - Olympic figure skater Ilia Malinin missed a podium finish in the men's free skate final after falling twice during his performance. Malinin was considered a favorite for the gold medal heading into the competition. While Malinin was physically fine after the event, he appeared overwhelmed by the pressure of the Olympic stage. The skater later shared details of his mental struggles and the "invisible battles" athletes face while competing under intense public scrutiny. Malinin addressed the loss on social media, describing the internal struggles that occur beneath the surface of elite competition. "On the world's biggest stage, those who appear to be the strongest may still be fighting invisible battles on the inside," Malinin said in a post on Instagram. He noted that even positive experiences can be impacted by external commentary and personal doubt. Malinin also spoke about the effect of public criticism on an athlete's mental health. "Vile, online hatred attacks the mind and fear lures it into the darkness, no matter how hard you try to stay sane through the endless insurmountable pressure," Malinin said. Despite the two falls, Malinin was physically uninjured following the free skate. Jason Brown, an Olympic figure skater who has competed against Malinin for years, said he understands the scrutiny of the sport. Brown has experienced negative feedback on social media throughout his career and described the mental impact as scarring. He noted that the way athletes speak to themselves is difficult and significant during high-pressure moments. Brown explained that the questioning after a difficult performance can become all-consuming for a skater. He said athletes often second-guess their training, costumes, skates and the ice conditions to make sense of what happened. Brown stated that while he can only speak for his own experience, he recognizes the mental hurdles involved in the Olympic final. The competition also highlighted lingering tensions regarding previous team selections. During commentary in the "kiss and cry" area following his performance, Malinin appeared to blame U.S. Figure Skating for choosing Brown over him for the Beijing Games in 2022. Brown said Malinin's words caught him off guard and caused him pain. "It was heartbreaking, I want to be completely honest," Brown said. "And it made me think, Ilia and I should have a conversation about that. Not just for Ilia, but for me." 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