Japanese bronze medallist Shun Sato says the gruelling Olympic schedule cost US favourite Ilia Malinin a medal after his shocking free skate collapse.

JAPANESE bronze medallist Shun Sato blamed the “toxic schedule” of Olympic men’s figure skating for US favourite Ilia Malinin’s shocking slump off the podium.

Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Shaidorov surged from fifth after the short programme to claim a surprise gold in the free skating final. Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama held second to take silver, with Sato moving up from ninth to claim bronze.

Despite carrying a five-point lead into the free skate, Malinin placed 15th for his error-strewn routine and finished eighth overall. “I feel quite surprised by his performance tonight, he had a perfect season,” Sato said of the two-time world champion.

Malinin had been unbeaten for over two years and dominated the ISU Grand Prix final in December. “If you think about it, he had the team competition as well as the singles, and it was a very toxic schedule,” Sato added.

READ MORE: Shaidorov stuns Malinin for historic Olympic figure skating gold

The American had been bidding for a second gold after helping the USA retain their team title, competing in four routines in Milan. “It’s very bad that this happened to him,” Sato said.

Kagiyama echoed the sentiment, noting the immense pressure on the favourite. “He has done four very difficult programmes,” Kagiyama said. “His performance was a little bit unusual. But it proves that this is really the Olympics, things like that happen.”

Sato, who scored third highest in the free skate, said he was stunned to make the podium. “I really didn’t expect myself to be on the podium at all,” the 22-year-old admitted.

Kagiyama, who took his second Olympic singles silver, described the unique pressure of the Games. “Olympic Games obviously carry a special feeling, special atmosphere. It’s nerve-wracking for everybody.”

 The Sun Malaysia