At the Milan Cortina Olympic Games, Canadian figure skater Stephen Gogolev achieved a commendable fifth-place finish in the men's event, performing impressively with a free skate that included three quad jumps. His performance, set to Sergei Rachmaninov's "Piano Concerto No. 2", earned him a personal-best score of 273.78 points, just shy of podium placement by 1.12 points. Gogolev's achievement is notable as it came at a competitive event where many athletes, including leading favorites, faced difficulties.

The competition took a dramatic turn when heavy favorite Ilia Malinin, dubbed the "Quad God", faced a string of unfortunate errors during his routine. After initially leading the short program, Malinin fell twice and failed to execute several jumps successfully, including a quad axel. This collapse caused him to drop from a strong position to eighth place, a shocking outcome for both the skater and spectators, highlighting the high pressures and unpredictability of Olympic-level figure skating.

Kazakhstan's Mikhail Shaidorov emerged as the champion with a score of 291.58 points, followed by Japan's Yuma Kagiyama and Shun Sato, who secured silver and bronze medals, respectively. Gogolev's finishes reflect both his skill and the stakes of the competition, and the performance of Malinin raises questions about athlete preparation and the impact of mental and physical pressures in high-stakes sports environments.