Ilia Malinin
Ilia Malinin, figure skater favored for gold, finishes 8th
Malinin, undefeated since 2023, stumbled and fell multiple times, landing far off the podium. Mikhail Shaidorov of Kazakhstan won gold in an upset that shocked even himself.
Reporter’s notebook: A Dutch speedskater and a U.S. influencer walk into a bar …
NPR's Rachel Treisman took a pause from watching figure skaters break records to see speed skaters break records. Plus, the surreal experience of watching backflip artist Ilia Malinin.
Ilia Malinin’s Olympic backflip made history. But he’s not the first to do it
U.S. figure skating phenom Ilia Malinin did a backflip in his Olympic debut, and another the next day. The controversial move was banned from competition for decades until 2024.
