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Screams, tears and stunned silence swept through SkateQuest in Reston on Friday as supporters watched Fairfax native Ilia Malinin’s pursuit of Olympic gold collapse with two falls.

Malinin finished eighth in the Olympic free skate final, a result few inside his home rink expected. The crowd was so large that organizers set up a movie screen on one of the ice rinks.

SkateQuest celebrates Malinin’s accomplishments throughout the building. Visitors are greeted by a towering image of the skater known as the “Quad God” at the 2024 World Championship.

General manager Anthony Lamirata first met Malinin when the future champion began skating at SkateQuest at age 7. Lamirata joined the rink as a Zamboni driver 18 years ago.

“I just felt so bad for him,” Lamirata said. His voice cracked when asked what he would tell Malinin.

“I’d just give him a hug. That’s it.”

Emily Desjardins, who has occasionally shared the ice with Malinin, described him as kind and wonderful to skate with. She said viewers saw only his four-minute routine, while those at SkateQuest have witnessed years of work behind it.

“It makes my heart break,” Desjardins said.

Seventeen-year-old Lucius Kazanecki, the 2025 Junior Grand Prix Final bronze medalist, watched from the front row. Malinin’s parents trained Kazanecki, deepening his connection to the skater’s Olympic journey.

“Horrible. Just horrible,” Kazanecki said of the two falls. “Not what any of us expected at all. He’s been thinking about this for years. … I feel horrible for him.”

As Malinin gave an interview, two teenage girls held up a handmade sign offering encouragement: “Ilia. Keep calm and quad on.”

Teenage figure skater Dakota Flood echoed that support.

“We’re so incredibly proud of him,” Flood said. “This isn’t the end.”