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WON GOLD, THEN SPOKE ABOUT NOLE: American skater revealed how he felt when he saw Djokovic in the audience! (VIDEO)

by Serbian Times9. February 2026.9. February 2026.

Ilia Malinin justified the nickname “Quad God” and brought the gold medal to the United States of America in the team figure skating event by blowing Novak Djokovic’s mind.

The best tennis player of all time, and according to many the best athlete ever, decided to watch the competition with his wife Jelena, and he was left stunned when he saw the backflip performed by Malinin. He has always said that he primarily wants to entertain and delight people, and only then does he want the awards.

After everything, he spoke about the reaction of Djokovic that he saw.

“I saw Djokovic there and it was, honestly, completely surreal. Everyone told me that, after I landed the backflip, he was left speechless and stood with his hands on his head. I thought: ‘Oh my God, that’s incredible.’

That is a once-in-a-lifetime moment – for a famous tennis player to watch my performance. I am truly delighted,” the American stated.

🚨🇮🇹/🇺🇸 IMPRESSIONNANT : Ilia Malinin, un patineur artistique américain de 21 ans, est entré dans l'histoire en réalisant un salto arrière sur une seule jambe aux Jeux olympiques d'hiver de Milan-Cortina 2026, un mouvement auparavant interdit et considéré comme dangereux. pic.twitter.com/E7olZJKNsJ
— Wolf 🐺 (@PsyGuy007) February 9, 2026

Malinin performed a move that had been banned since 1977. The last time someone performed this backward roll without penalty and “legally” was in 1976 at the Winter Olympic Games, when Terry Kubicka did it at the Games in Innsbruck.

However, this move has been allowed again since 2024, but it is no longer rewarded with points.

“It was fun. I mean, the crowd was roaring, they were out of control. That helped me feel gratitude for being on the Olympic stage,” said Malinin in one breath, who did not initially see how Djokovic reacted.

Novak and Jelena were shocked, jumped to their feet, and Djokovic held his head for some time in complete shock at what he had just seen.

Malinin finished in second position on Saturday, but he is being talked about much, much more than the first-placed Yuma Kagiyama.