Ilya Marinin is getting a shot at redemption following his struggles at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
During the World Figure Skating Championships in Prague on Thursday, Marinin, famously dubbed the “God of the Quad,” topped the rankings after the short program, scoring 111.29 points.
Staying true to his reputation, the two-time world champion kicked off with an impressive quad flip, quad Lutz, and a triple toe loop combination.
In second place was French skater Adam Hsiao Him Hua, with 101.85 points, trailing Marinin by more than nine points.
Marinin had entered the Milan-Cortina Games last month as a frontrunner in men’s ice skating, finishing the short program atop the scoresheets with a 108.16.
However, things spiraled during the free skate, leading to multiple falls and mistakes that ultimately landed him in a disappointing eighth place, finishing that segment with a score of 156.33.
“To be honest, it’s not the best feeling. There’s a lot of attention, a lot of eyes on you,” Marinin shared with “Today” afterward. “If you’re not ready for that, it can really take a toll. I guess not being fully prepared was one of the issues I faced before the free skate.”
“I just need to learn from my past mistakes and figure out how to improve moving ahead. I hope to approach the next Olympics differently.”
After the heartbreak at the Winter Olympics, Marinin shared a video on social media, combining joyful skating moments with clips of him looking dejected during the games.
He described it as an “invisible battle” in the post’s caption and even shared snippets with unsettling messages like, “Your little son is tired, mom.”
From what we saw on Thursday, it seems that Marinin is beginning to work through those challenges.
