Overview
- After leading the short program, Ilia Malinin fell twice and aborted two quad axels in the free skate, sliding to eighth place.
- A hot mic caught him saying "I blew it" and referencing Beijing; he later explained he lacked prior Olympic experience from 2022.
- Broadcast colleagues and peers, including Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir, praised his grace, and Nathan Chen said he appeared to hold back and it was not his night.
- Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Shaidorov won the men’s singles title following the error-strewn finale.
- South Korea’s Cha Jun-hwan placed fourth with 273.92 points, finishing less than a point behind Japan’s Shun Sato at 274.90, prompting online complaints about judging.