U.S. Olympic greats including Scott Hamilton and Apolo Ohno offered words of encouragement to figure skater Ilia Malinin on Saturday after he finished in 8th place in the men's singles event on Friday.

The 21-year-old American double world champion and red-hot favorite landed three of seven attempted quads in a free skate that ranked 15th.

"One performance should never define anyone. A good one or a disappointing one," Hamilton, who won gold for the U.S. at the 1984 Sarajevo Olympic Games, posted on social media.

"Ilia Malinin is a class act and someone I greatly admire! As badly as I feel for him tonight, I know he will respond with strength, courage and dignity. We all love you Ilia!"

Malinin had been considered a virtual certainty to win gold in Milan after crushing his rivals in an undefeated streak stretching back more than two years.

Instead, he fell twice and was in disbelief as more than two years of competitive dominance dissolved.

Malinin himself took to Facebook in the early hours of Saturday morning.

"I blew it," he wrote in all caps. "That's honestly the first thing that came to my mind was 'There's no way that just happened.'

"I felt like, going into this competition, I was so ready. I just felt ready getting on that ice. That might have been the reason — that maybe I was too confident that it was gonna go well."

Gymnastics great Simone Biles, who has also faltered under the glare of the Olympic spotlight, leapt to her feet at the Milano Ice Skating Arena with supportive applause. Former American short-track speed skater Ohno said he was impressed by Malinin's honesty.

"So much hype and the spotlight was bright," the eight-time Olympic medalist posted on social media. "But tonight at the moment that mattered most: 8th place. His words: 'It was definitely mental.'

"That's honesty and ownership. And it takes a hell of a lot more courage to say that than to make excuses. Every Olympics, the 'destined' champion faces THIS moment. A decade of prep. One performance. The body is ready – but did anyone prepare the mind for that pressure?

"The inner game is still the most underutilized edge in sport. Ilia is only 21. He'll be back and he will face the fire once again. I was cheering for him tonight, and I'll be there when he comes back again."

Canada’s three-time world champion Kurt Browning called it one of the greatest upsets in figure skating.

"Absolutely," he said on the CBC broadcast. "It has to be, it has to be.

"The idea he has had in the back of his mind is not to just be an Olympic champion. Because honestly, out of everyone in the sport he just has so many more bullets in the gun than everyone else.

"And it was almost handed to him. And that's a dangerous place to be in, because when it's already assumed, it's hard to go out there and fight for it."