The report comes just days after an emotional Malinin choked back tears as he left the ice, where he was a heavy favorite going into the free skate. But among other mistakes, he had two falls on a night when he shocked fans for reasons he didn’t want to, finishing with his worst final score (264.49) in almost four years.
The 21-year-old is expected to compete in the non-medal event on Saturday, a day before the closing ceremony of the Winter Olympics, a source told USA Today’s veteran sports journalist.
At the gala, medalists (and sometimes fourth-place finishers and residents of the host country) perform for the audience, making the participation of Malinin — who finished eighth in the men’s singles — “almost unheard of,” Brennan said.
The “Quad God” will also travel to Prague next month as he looks to retain his crown at this year’s world championships. He has won consecutive world titles in figure skating.
Malinin was spotted with Mexico’s Donovan Carrillo and Team Canada’s Piper Gilles in the crowd as they watched the pair’s short program on Sunday.
Team USA’s Emily Chan and Spencer Howe made their Olympic debut with a score of 70.06, while American duo Ellie Kam and Daniel O’Shea left the ice with a score of 71.87.
