The anticipation was high on Friday for Ilia Malinin, who was far and away the favorite to win a gold medal in the men’s single figure skating event.
Instead of sending jaws dropping for the gravity-defying brilliance that his audiences and fellow figure skaters had grown to expect, Malinin, 21, drew gasps as he fell twice and repeatedly struggled, finishing eighth.
On Monday, Malinin, released a video showing the contradiction of his best moments in the sport and Friday’s widely publicized stumbles.
“On the world’s biggest stage, those who appear the strongest may still be fighting invisible battles on the inside,” he said. Malinin explained that the pressure and expectation preceding the event were paralyzing, and vicious online comments directed at him created “noise” in his head that clouded his focus during his Olympics routine.
Malinin is the most recent example of a long line of elite athletes who, under the spotlight in a high-stakes competition for which they train mightily to qualify, fall apart at the most crucial moment. Others in recent years include Yankee Aaron Judge, who “choked” during the 2024 World Series, ending up with a high strikeout rate following a historic regular season, and gymnast Simon Biles, famous for her complex routines but who developed the “twisties,” becoming disoriented during the Tokyo Olympics.
At its core, the athlete is gripped by a fear, doubt or anxiety so acute that it creates a virtual disconnect between their focus and their body, says Dr. Ulrick Vieux, a sports psychiatrist and director of the Behavioral Health Sports & Performance Clinic at Hackensack University Medical Center.
“When a person ‘chokes’ it is not due to a sudden loss of talent, but rather a myriad of psychological and physiological determinants that disrupt the execution of well-rehearsed skills,” says Dr. Vieux.
“The anxiety of performing can trigger a ‘fight or flight’ response, leading to a release of stress hormones from the amygdala such as cortisol and adrenaline,” adds Dr. Vieux. “These hormones are important for survival, such as if you’re getting chased down the block by an angry bear., they trigger you to get away from the source of danger. However, the release of these hormones can be detrimental to athletic performance. Specifically, it can trigger anxiety, fear, increased muscle tension, elevated heart rate and respiration and narrowed vision.”
Choking, or the twisties, happen to non-athletes as well in situations where the stakes are high, Dr. Vieux noted. Students may feel panic while taking an important test, an entertainer may forget the lines to a song in the middle of a performance, a speaker may lose their train of thought while giving a presentation.
Dr. Vieux, who has worked with professional athletes, says athletes like Malinin and Biles have taken an important step in candidly addressing the mental health issues that affected their performance. Biles pulled out of the Tokyo competition to “protect her mental wellbeing.” After a years-long break from competing, Biles returned, becoming the most decorated U.S. gymnast in Olympic history at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Malinin’s Monday statement said: “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.”
Dr. Vieux says Malinin, and others, can rebound after a crushing experience. He advises taking these steps:
Build resilience against the negative effects of pressureDevelop a mindset of focusing on the process, not the outcomeReframe pressure as an opportunityEngage in positive self-talk and cue words, or mantras, especially when you’re under pressureHonor past successes and avoid negative self thoughts
“As a sports psychiatrist, I always say the key difference between a baseball player stuck in the minor leagues and a major league baseball player was how they prepared mentally,” Dr. Vieux says. “Many of our most admired athletes have remarkable mental strength and an ability to overcome obstacles. This is at the core of the brilliance of Michael Jordan, Lebron James, Tom Brady and many other icons. They may throw an interception or miss a free throw, but they have the ability to come back with a standout athletic feat.”