Ilia Malinin is reflecting on his "redemption skate" at the 2026 Winter Olympics after his shocking 8th place finish. When asked by a reporter how "important" it was to be at the Gala Skate, Malinin, 21, replied, "It just was really important especially for what happened." "I mean, it's just something that we go through as athletes, as people. It's just all this constant voices, these attention, the pressure, just everything forced upon you," he said on Saturday, February 21. "It's very hard to deal with and honestly it's what makes us very special, very grateful for what we can do.