Ilia Malinin said on "TODAY" he was not prepared to handle the spotlight of the Olympics, giving his most extensive comments since his mistake-filled performance at the Milan Cortina Games.

The self-dubbed "Quad God" was heavily expected to win a gold medal in the men’s figure skating individual event, a competition he has dominated internationally over the last few years. But after a stellar short program, he was deducted 72 points during the free skate.

"Honestly, it's not a pleasant feeling is the most honest way to say it," Malinin said of the high expectations he felt. "So many eyes, so much attention. It really can get to you if you're not ready to fully embrace it. That may be one of the mistakes I made, I was not ready to handle that to the fullest extent."