Live Updates: Winter Olympics 2026 Day 10, Team USA dominating Sweden 5-0, eyes now firmly on the women’s hockey gold medal match

American figure skating star Ilia Malinin discussed “invisible battles on the inside” and “vile online hatred” in an Instagram post announcing his participation in the Winter Olympics exhibition gala on February 21.

The exhibition gala is an Olympic tradition where the medalists are invited to perform a program of their own design with no restrictions on music or costumes and featuring no judging.

“On the world’s biggest stage, those who appear the strongest may still be fighting invisible battles on the inside,” Malinin wrote. “Even your happiest memories can end up tainted by the noise. 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.”

“It all builds up as these moments flash before your eyes, resulting in an inevitable crash. This is that version of the story.”

After not losing a competition since November 2023, the men’s gold medal favorite shocked the world with an eighth place finish in the competition after the free skate on Friday.

Two devastating falls and a quadruple-Axel-that-wasn’t cost Malinin a spot on the podium, something nobody expected.

Following the disappointing performance, Malinin opened up about the demand athletes endure going into his individual skate.

“It’s the Olympics, and I think people only realize the pressure and the nerves that actually happen from the inside. It was just something that overwhelmed me, and I felt like I had no control.”

The mental health of elite athletes has been a topic of conversation for years now, with high-profile names such as Simone Biles, Naomi Osaka and Michael Phelps among those speaking out.

Biles, who experienced a mental block referred to as the “twisties” during the Tokyo Summer Olympics, said she was “totally devastated for Ilia.”