Klaus Solko

On Friday the 13th, the Winter Olympics men’s free skate happened. American figure skater Ilia Malinin, favored to win by many, fell twice. In his grouping, including him, five out of six competitors fell. Some have jumped to blaming the ice, saying it was not at the right temperature, but none of the competing athletes have said the same. What do they blame? Nerves. 

Focusing on Malinin again, his two falls drew a lot of attention online. People are both concerned over his mental state and celebrating his loss. People also were commenting on his TikTok reposts, which some users are calling “depressing.” Many people have called these reposts “performative” or “attention seeking.” 

Now let us add some context to Malinin as a person and as an athlete. He is 21 years old; he turned 21 in December. So he is an Olympic athlete who is the same age as many people who go to Augsburg. He has also placed first in every competition he has been in since 2023, along with being the two-time reigning world champion. 

With that being as it is, I don’t understand why people are expecting him to be the most graceful loser. He is barely an adult, and he doesn’t have a bunch of experience losing, especially on an international stage. Even then, it is not like he is throwing a fit. Malinin has not said the ice has melted; he has not said he deserved to win. Here is what he has said: “All I have to do is learn from my mistakes there and push to see how I can improve in the future.” A very mature comment. He also, in talking about his performance, said, “It’s just a lot on you, so many eyes, so much attention (…) it really can get to you if you are not ready to fully embrace it. (I) think that might be one of the mistakes going into that free skate. I was not ready to handle that.” Both these comments were given in an interview with TODAY.   

So what are people wanting from him? What people want is what they always want from athletes that dominate; perfection. Or for him to fail. I understand he isn’t everyone’s favorite; he is mine, but I was also rooting for Sato Shun, who got bronze in the same event. However, it seems that once athletes get to a certain level of success, they stop getting to be people, and that follows in how people treat them. 

While the world of the Olympics seems far away from college athletics, it is still a perspective that can be shifted to focus on it. The expectations that college athletes are held to are not just on the field but off. Should there be more, or does the same thing that happens to Olympic level athletes happen to college ones? People are telling them to be less egotistical and a refusal to let them be people who are learning and growing.