American figure skating star Ilya Marin, often referred to as the “God of the Quad” due to his remarkable jumping skills, was expected to win gold in the men’s free skate final last week. However, he finished in eighth place and did not medal.
Simone Biles, the highly celebrated U.S. Olympic gymnast, understands the immense pressure of competing on a global stage. Following Marin’s unexpected outcome, she reached out to him, recognizing the difficulties he faced.
Biles mentioned, “I definitely had a chance to bump into him. I messaged him on Instagram, which is all private, of course. I know what he’s going through, and it can be really painful to witness.”
Marin had performed exceptionally well during the short program, leading the competition with a score of 108.16. However, his final performance starkly contrasted his earlier success. After the event, he was candid, admitting, “I sucked.” It seemed he dealt with significant mental challenges throughout.
Biles reflected on her own experiences during the Tokyo Olympics, when her performance was impacted by mental hurdles. She offered Marin advice on how to bounce back. Remaining optimistic about his future, she called him an “absolute legend,” expressing confidence that he would overcome this setback. “I can see him coming out on top after this. We’re all just rooting for him,” she said.
Marin later shared that he felt the intense weight of expectations surrounding his performance. When asked about the scrutiny at the Olympics, he replied honestly, “Honestly, I’m not looking forward to it.” He emphasized the pressure from not just fans and media but also the overarching attention that can be overwhelming if one isn’t fully prepared.
He also acknowledged his missteps leading up to the free skate. Reflecting, he said, “I think one of the mistakes I made was that I wasn’t fully prepared for the situation.” Marin intends to take these lessons into account for his next competition.
In his free skate routine, Marin initially connected with a quad flip but later opted for a single axel and a double loop instead of a quad loop. He stumbled on a quadruple Lutz attempt and faced another fall shortly thereafter, ultimately scoring 156.33 points.
Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Shaidlov clinched the gold with a total of 291.58 points, achieving the highest score of his career in the free skate with a 198.94. Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama secured the silver, while teammate Shun Sato took home the bronze.
