Maxim Naumov Says Skating Community Has Ilia Malinin's Back - Beritaja

American fig skater Maxim Naumov wants chap Team USA competitor Ilia Malinin to cognize that the full skating organization is down him aft his devastating eighth-place decorativeness successful the men’s singles event.

“We’ve sewage his backmost nary matter what,” Naumov told “TODAY” connected Monday.

Naumov said that he saw Malinin successful the Olympic Village aft the title erstwhile the golden badge favourite fell aggregate times during his routine.

“I really conscionable want him to cognize that we emotion him, and we attraction about him,” Naumov said. “His capacity and what he did connected the crystal that time successful the free program, it doesn’t specify him. In those moments, it’s really you respond, and knowing him, I cognize that he’s going to beryllium OK.”

Naumov is nary alien to this resilient mentality.

The fig skater made it to the Milan Cortina Games aft losing some his parents successful a plane clang past year. Evgenia Shishkova and Vadimaaum Naumov won a world title title together successful pairs skating successful 1994 and narrowly missed retired connected Olympic medals that twelvemonth astatine the Lillehammer Games earlier moving to the U.S. and coaching generations of young skaters successful New England.

Naumov pushed himself to suffice for the title by remembering their Olympic dreams for him, and he dedicated his capacity successful the men’s singles title to them.

“I wanted truthful severely to beryllium for illustration them and to beryllium capable to yet bring that to fruition, it’s an unbelievable feeling," Naumov told "TODAY."

During past week's men's singles fig skating events, Naumov had to put his condolences speech and emergence to the occasion. The fig skater said a mantra from his parents comforted and motivated him during his affectional Olympic debut.

Ilia Malinin fell during the free skate programme connected Friday.Jamie Squire / Getty Images

"Ever since I was a kid, we ever said ‘put everything retired location connected the ice,’ pinch each your energy, each your passion, and that’s what’s going to thief you get done it," Naumov said.

"The difficult activity is done astatine home, and erstwhile you’re retired there, you person to spell retired and bask it and soak successful the moment," he said.

The 24-year-old fig skater sewage connected his knees aft completing his regular successful the men’s azygous fig skating short programme Tuesday night, soaking successful his Olympic moment.

He looked supra and said, “Look what we conscionable did," earlier holding a photograph of his precocious parents while his people was publication aloud.