American figure skater Ilia Malinin suffered a devastating collapse at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, falling twice during his free skate and dropping from first to eighth place. The 21-year-old, considered the gold medal favorite, failed to land his signature quadruple axel and was visibly distraught after the performance.

Following the event, multiple Olympic gymnastics champion Simone Biles reached out to Malinin after witnessing his struggle from the stands. Biles, who experienced her own Olympic mental health crisis at Tokyo 2021 when she developed the 'twisties' and withdrew from several events, understood the pressure Malinin faced. She told Olympics.com she immediately contacted him, having 'been through that first hand.'

The two Olympic stars met in Milan on Tuesday, where Biles provided support based on her own experiences with Olympic pressure and mental health challenges. Biles, who has won 11 Olympic medals including seven golds, said she wanted Malinin to know he had support 'in a different aspect.' Their conversation validated Malinin's feelings, with him acknowledging that Biles understood exactly what he was going through after failing to deliver under the world's biggest spotlight.