Olympian Maxim Naumov is showing his support for fellow Team USA figure skater Ilia Malinin following a tough outing on the ice.
“We’ve got his back no matter what,” Naumov, 24, said during an appearance on the Monday, February 16, episode of the Today show.
“I really just want him to know that we love him, and we care about him,” he added. “His performance and what he did on the ice that day in the free program, it doesn’t define him. In those moments, it’s how you respond and knowing him, I know that he’s going to be OK.”
Naumov also echoed the sentiment about Malinin, 21, while speaking with People on Monday.
“This message is for Ilia specifically. I just want him to know that it’s sports. It’s hard,” the figure skater said. “And the fact of what happened is a reality and it shows just how real and raw it all is.”
He added, “A lot of times we as athletes tie so much of our performance and the points [to] our own self-worth, and I just want Ilia to know that we love him and we support him and it doesn’t matter. None of the skating stuff is ever going to affect that.”
Naumov, whose parents died in the American Airlines Flight 5342 crash over Washington, D.C., in January 2025, believes Malinin will overcome the blips he suffered on the ice last week.
“Knowing him, he’s definitely going to respond big and I’m just praying for him. I want to support him as best I can,” Naumov concluded. “As a teammate, as a friend and just as a human. It’s tough. But that’s sports. Things like that are gonna happen, and like I said, it’s how you bounce back that’s the most important.”
Naumov’s comments came three days after Malinin fell twice during his free skate at the 2026 Winter Olympics on Friday, February 13. Malinin, who was a favorite to win the gold medal in the individual event, also hit a snag attempting a quadruple axel, which turned into only a single, and surprisingly turned another quad loop into a double.
Malinin was visibly disappointed by his performance on the ice, scrunching his nose and holding back tears as he exited. He ultimately ended the event in eighth place after coming into the night in first. Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Shaidorov won gold and Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama and Shun Sato earned silver and bronze, respectively.
“Honestly, I still haven’t been able to process what just happened, it’s a lot of mixed emotions,” Malinin told reporters after the stumbles. “Going into this competition I felt really good, this whole day I felt very solid, and I just thought that all I needed to do is go out there and trust the process that I’ve always been doing with every competition. But of course, it’s not like any other competition. It’s the Olympics, and I think people only realize the pressure in the nerves that actually happen from the inside, so it was really just something that overwhelmed me and I just felt like I had no control.”
Malinin also expressed his disappointment with the results while speaking with NBC.
“I was not expecting that,” he said of his bobbles. “I felt so ready getting on that ice. Maybe I was too confident it was going to go well. I think it was definitely mental. Finally experiencing that Olympic atmosphere, it’s crazy. It’s really different.”
Malinin, who helped secure gold in the team event with Madison Chock, Evan Bates, Alysa Liu, Amber Glenn, Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea earlier this month, has also received encouraging messages from other Olympians, including Johnny Weir, following the free skate.
“You are one in a million @ilia_quadg0d_malinin. You showed true sportsmanship and grace. I can’t wait to see where you’ll take us next. 🤍,” Weir, 41, wrote via instagram following the free skate.
Malinin subsequently reflected on his Olympic journey and future in a post via Instagram on Monday.
“On the world’s biggest stage, those who appear the strongest may still be fighting invisible battles on the inside,” he captioned a video montage of some of his biggest moments on the ice. “Even your happiest memories can end up tainted by the noise. Vile online hatred attacks the mind and fear lures it into the darkness, no matter how hard you try to stay sane through the endless insurmountable pressure. It all builds up as these moments flash before your eyes, resulting in an inevitable crash. This is that version of the story.”
He finished off the post with, “Coming February 21, 2026,” seemingly teasing an upcoming appearance at the Olympic exhibition gala this weekend.
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