Daniel Grassl fell significantly behind. © ANSA / NEIL HALL

Dramatic freestyle: Daniel Grassl also falls back

After a superb short program, Daniel Grassl still had a chance at a medal at the Olympic Games in Milan and Cortina. But the 23-year-old from Merano fell far behind in the free skate on Friday evening.

February 13, 2026

From: dl

Grassl started the competition in fourth place after the short program, thus securing an excellent starting position for the Olympic final. With 93,46 points, Grassl delivered one of his most consistent short programs of the season, just a few points shy of his personal best. However, Grassl ultimately had to settle for ninth place.

A second Olympic medal within a few days wasn't entirely out of the question beforehand – and Grassl took a huge risk. The start was promising – including a quadruple Lutz and a loop jump. But towards the end of the program, more and more errors crept in, and Grassl even briefly fell to the ground at one point.

Daniel Grassl made a mistake in his free skate. © APA/afp / WANG ZHAO

Grassl was unable to replicate his seventh-place finish from his Olympic debut in Beijing at the Games on home soil. Italy's best figure skater appeared crestfallen and somewhat dejected afterward. The second-best skater, Matteo Rizzo from Milan, finished in 15th place.

The top favorite's nerves fail him.

The clear leader after the short program, Ilia Malinin from the USA, was the overwhelming favorite for gold. The 21-year-old has redefined the discipline both technically and artistically. However, he fell in the free skate, including after a double somersault. The two-time world champion dropped back to eighth place and was utterly devastated afterward.

Top favorite Ilia Malinin messed up the free skate. © APA/afp / GABRIEL BOUYS

Gold went to 21-year-old Kazakh Mikhail Shaidorov, who had been only fifth after the short program but delivered a superb free skate. Silver and bronze went to the two Japanese skaters, Yuma Kagiyama and Shun Sato. A disappointed Malinin congratulated the medalists fairly and showed great sportsmanship, but the shock was clearly visible on his face.

Figure skating, Men's Singles: