The Fall of 'Square God': Ilia Malinin Discovers the Cruelty of Olympics
American figure skater Ilia Malinin was strong enough to win an Olympic medal, but he discovered the cruelty of his sport.
American sensation Ilia Malinin was expected to battle for gold on Friday. But it was hard to see the cruelty of his sport.
As Ilia Malinin approached the end of his Olympic free skate program, the result no longer mattered. His facial expression wasn't panic or shock, but an understanding that the fate he had controlled for almost three years had slipped away from him.
For men's competitions, the 21-year-old Malinin wasn't a rival but a technical horizon for the new generation. He was called 'Square God.' He built programs around jumps that others considered theoretical and brought the sport close to practical physics. Like Simone Biles, his only rival was himself.