Erin Westphal
@WestphalErin
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Fan of the ice dance NextGen (N/M🇺🇸M/M🇨🇿L/Q🇰🇷B/H🇬🇧T/L🇮🇹) Flooding fstwt with positive energy, kindness, education, and respect.
Chicago, IL
Joined March 2010
Ah, the Winter Olympics have started. There’s nothing more romantic than ice dancing and heated rivalries in February, right? Well, before you start shipping your fave Olympians, please watch this from two real people who lived through that drama…
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I feel so sad for Ilia Malinin. 💔 The weight of expectations and the pressure of the spotlight. But I also feel proud of him. The sportsmanship he showed in genuinely congratulating the winner and in not ducking the post-skate interview reflects strength. His time will come.
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Everyone please just stop making fun of Ilia’s reposts about mental health. If you can’t say anything nice, just don’t say anything at all. It’s not hard to be a decent person.
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A legacy once again etched in Olympic history. 🩵💛
This was a labor of love for me for many months. Denis, we could never do your life justice in two minutes, but it was an honor to dedicate these minutes to you. I hope you are at peace. You are missed.
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오늘은 데니스 텐이 소치에서 동메달을 딴지 딱 12년 된 날인데, 데니스 조국인 카자흐스탄의 사이도로프가 12년 뒤 같은 날 금메달을 따다니 ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
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Between tonight and the controversial dance results, Milan is giving Lillehammer vibes. Where’s my pledge pin, my Calculus textbook, and my Mac Color Classic?
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As a sports PR professional, that was impressive to watch. Just minutes after failing to medal as the favorite, on Int’l TV in front of millions, American figure skater Ilia Malinin still stopped to do his post-skate NBC interview. Incredible poise for a 21-yr old. #Olympics2026
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It was assumed by most fans for months ahead that both bock and Ilia would split because of the proximity to their individual events, even if it meant sacrificing the team gold. They didn’t, and they, along with four teammates, leaving Milan with gold medals.
Honestly, props to Madi, Evan, and Ilia for doing both legs of the event. Especially because Dance and Men are first up for individual events, so they really did sacrifice energy that could hve been put towards their individual medals for this team event. Props.
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Fun fact: Ilia’s mom also placed 8th at her first Olympics. (His dad placed 19th at both of his.)
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True character is revealed not when things go well, but when things go wrong. I’ve always said that Ilia seemed like the kind of skater who would lose with just as much grace as he won. Little did I know I would see it today. And with that loss. a star is born.
Ilia Malinin 🇺🇸 156.33 / 264.49 “Well, putting all the negatives aside, the atmosphere was really incredible. The support — honestly, even with that skate — the crowd never stopped cheering. They were supporting me the whole time, and that really meant a lot.” On the pressure
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I feel so proud of all our American Olympians. The medalists for sure, but those who didn’t have that outcome— they have been the embodiment of grace and class and the incredible fortitude and mental toughness it takes to compete on the biggest stage. They are all the best of the
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Yes, I noticed that, too. And when Ilia came over to congratulate him, Misha looked apologetic, and Ilia looked like he was saying, “no, man, enjoy it. You just won Olympic gold.” Can’t wait for a panda at the gala!
one thing i've always loved about misha is that he is so humble and respectful towards his competitors. even in the leaders chair, he was trying his best to be respectful of those with difficult skates. what a beautiful person to become an olympic champion 🥹
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What I love seeing: fellow US skaters, sharing messages of comfort to Ilia and congratulating Misha, almost in the same breath. Jeremy Abbott made me cry, with both kind words to Ilia and memories of Denis.
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Shaidorov, every time he opens his mouth: Kazakhstan Denis Ten Denis Ten Kazakhstan Almaty Ramstore Kazakhstan Kazakhstan Denis Ten
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I am so very happy for him! Denis Ten is smiling from heaven tonight, and the party in Almaty will last for days. As someone who remembers Urmanov’s surprise victory, it’s so fitting and Olympic.
You 2026 Olympic champion 🥇 Mikhail Shaidorov 🇰🇿 198.64 / 291.58 A few more first reaction quotes: On his emotions after the performance: “I don’t even know… these emotions are incredible. I’ve been working for this since childhood. Today, I just wanted to enjoy the moment
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my favourite random Olympic champion coach-student duo
shaido one of the randomest OGMs up there with one… alexei urmanov perhaps?
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This is the most surprising Olympic men’s skating result since Mikhail Shaidorov’s own coach, Alexei Urmanov, won the 1994 Olympic gold over a field that included a four-time World champ (Browning) and two previous Olympic gold medalists (Boitano and Petrenko).
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We would also like to emphasize that while many of us may feel strongly about the recent events, directing hostility toward Mikhail Shaidorov or any other skater is unacceptable. We have unfortunately seen instances of such behavior. Mikhail is Ilia’s friend, and this kind of
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