Milan (Italy) (AFP) – Ilia Malinin highlighted mental health struggles during an emotional performance at the Olympic figure skating gala on Saturday as men’s gold medallist Mikhail Shaidorov got the crowd going to ‘Kung Fu Panda’. Wearing a grey hoodie sweatshirt with ‘Fear’ written upside down, Malinin symbolically swotted away comments which represented the negative impact of social media. The 21-year-old was a striking presence in a routine to “Fear” by NF — capped off with his famous backflip that prompted a thunderous ovation.
“Tonight’s performance was just an extension of the emotions that I’ve been feeling for the past year leading up to these Olympics,” the two-time world champion told journalists. The skater known as the “Quad God” had been favourite to win the men’s individual title but tumbled to a humiliating eighth spot after the free skate. “It has been so stressful, so much pressure from people, the noise, the media, the thoughts, it’s something that no athlete should go through. But we have to get up and keep going no matter what. It’s not the last of me, so there’s going to be much more bigger plans in the future.”
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Malinin said doing non-competitive shows helped him “recharge”. “I can show my pure emotions and pure energy that I have,” he said. “I’ve learned so much from these Olympics, and I think that having one Olympics under my belt is something that I’ll be able to use as knowledge and understanding of how to approach these next Olympics. So, I’m going to take the next four years to really understand what I can do differently and have an even better strategy to come here and basically do my job.”
Kazakh Shaidorov had a more lighthearted programme to “Kung Fu Panda,” decked out in a full-body panda outfit. He battled skaters in Mortal Kombat and Deadpool costumes before skating to a rendition of Britney Spears’ “Hit Me Baby One More Time” as the crowd cheered and clapped along. Shaidorov managed to land a triple jump while still skating in the costume. At the end of his routine, he was greeted rinkside by actor, martial artist, and stuntman Jackie Chan at the Milano Ice Skating Arena.
US women’s gold medallist Alysa Liu performed to “Stateside” by PinkPantheress and Zara Larsson. Both Malinin and Liu won team gold with the United States and also performed along with their teammates. The gala included Olympic figure skating medallists and invited skaters, including former Italian Olympic medallist Carolina Kostner. “I was really trying to portray myself and my own personal style,” said Liu, 20, in a blue costume. “The buttons are coloured to be the same colours as the Olympic rings – green, red, yellow, blue and black. It’s very much my style.”
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