WINTER OLYMPICS fans have claimed the “ice was too soft” during the men’s figure skating.
Ilia Malinin – also known as the ‘Quad God’ – and his rivals suffered multiple falls as supporters took to social media to question the conditions.
Malinin had held a stranglehold on the discipline and arrived at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics on an unbeaten streak dating back to 2023.
But two shock falls in the free skate wiped out the five-point lead he had built up in the short program – and dropped him all the way down to EIGHTH.
The scenes involving the American and his fellow skaters raised questions online with fans watching events unfold.
One wrote: “This men’s figure skating free skate event is actually insane. The ice must be messed up? There were almost no good skates??”
Another agreed, posting: “Too many skaters fell during the men’s free skate. It was unusual. Was the ice too soft or rutted and could that have affected your skating?”
A fellow supporter added: “Men’s figure skating free skate needs to be redone! All the great skaters fell, check the ice!”
The trio weren’t the only ones to question events with one fan sharing footage on TikTok and writing: “Olympic Ice Skating all fall at the exact place. What’s going on here @TeamUSA @Olympics?”
Speaking to the media, Malinin said: “It’s a lot to handle. The pressure of the Olympics really is something different.
“I felt like I was ready, but it just went by so fast.
“Mentally, it was a weird feeling.
“I had so many thoughts and memories flood in right before I got into my starting pose. It might have overwhelmed me a little bit.
“I’m still so grateful that I was able to put in this work and effort to get to where I am. But it was not the skate that I wanted.
“I just blew it. It just didn’t happen for me.
“I just need to look to the future and make sure this never happens again.”
SunSport has contacted Milan-Cortina officials for comment.
