Former Olympic Champion Dorothy Hamill Praises Figure Skaters For Braving The Insane Pressure From Social Media

Dorothy Hamill, who suffered from chronic depression, came in support of Ilia Malinin and others for competing amid the pressures from social media.

Former Olympic Champion Dorothy Hamill Praises Figure Skaters For Braving The Insane Pressure From Social Media

Dorothy Hamill, Ilia Malinin (in circle) (images via WireImage/NBC News)

In Short
  • Dorothy Hamill praised young figure skaters for their resilience amid intense social media pressure.
  • She expressed sympathy for Ilia Malinin, who faced online criticism after failing to medal.
  • The International Olympic Committee is implementing measures to protect athletes from online hate during the Games.

Technology has evolved multi-fold in the last few decades, as eyes are on every individual competing in the major sporting events, including the Olympics. The 1972 Innsbruck ladies’ singles figure skating gold medalist Dorothy Hamill praised that the young skaters for their resilience and bravery competing under the watchful eyes of millions online and the pressure that comes with.

In an exclusive interview with Sarah Jones of People, the World Skating Hall of Famer admitted that she can’t even imagine competing in today’s conditions. She reflected that people used telegrams to wish her after competitions, quite different from today’s social media.

We didn’t have social media. I had a whole stack of telegrams. That was how people would wish you well. Not like today, thank goodness. I could never deal with what they’re dealing with today. That’s a whole other kind of pressure I can’t even imagine.

As opposed to 1972, athletes are subjected to severe pressure to attain perfection and win in today’s sporting world. Hamill, who earned a small amount of fame following her win in Innsbruck, added that she felt deep sympathy for the 21-year-old Ilia Malinin, who recently spoke about the insurmountable pressure he felt after he failed to medal in the men’s singles.

In the aftermath of his two fall skates, Malinin was subjected to deep scrutiny and online criticism. Just four days following the free skate program, Malinin wrote a post on Instagram revealing that he has faced vile attacks with the power to “happiest memories can end up tainted by the noise.”

In her interview, Hamill said that she understood the pressure felt by Malinin. She said that she hopes that the young skater will continue to compete for many more years and make a comeback. Hamill also highlighted and praised the measures that are available for the athletes to tackle the mental pressures that come with the sport. She highlighted the case of Simone Biles, who was able to overcome the “twisties” that affected her in Tokyo and come back to win and stun audiences in Paris.

The Winter Olympics 2026 athletes face severe online hate

The International Olympic Committee has several measures to protect the athletes from online hate during the Games. In spite of the measures, online users have launched tirades of abuse and hate towards the athletes for several reasons.

Hunter Hess
Hunter Hess (Image via Instagram/@hunterhess10)

Freestyle skiers Hunter Hess and Christopher Little faced severe backlash after they made comments against Immigration and Customs Enforcement amid the recent uptick in violence and murders of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by ICE agents. Hess was even called a loser by the ruling president of the country.

Amber Glenn, who discussed the rights of LGBTQ+ individuals in US, faced similar hate from conservative groups. She had been targeted several times throughout the past weeks, particularly when she had a disappointing short program in the women’s singles a day ago. Glenn’s sister, Brooke Glenn commented that the attacks weren’t criticism but an “attempt to strip away someone’s humanity, all because what she’s saying is different and scary to them.”

Atle Lie McGrath was criticised for his emotional reaction after he lost out on a gold medal, the media unaware of the grief he was holding while competing, having lost his grandfather just days ago. Olympic champion Francesco Lollobrigida had to defend her son following her win.

The reports from the Olympics highlight the pressure and hate aimed at athletes. The Japanese Olympic Committee recorded around 62,000 online posts with abusive vitriol against the athletes. The German Olympic Sports Confederation identified more than 1,300 cases of hate-fueled messages to athletes through AI-powered monitoring tools.

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