Kazakhstan's representative Mikhail Shaidorov sensationally won the gold medal in men's singles figure skating at the 2026 Olympic Games taking place in Italy, in the cities of Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo.
Shaidorov scored 291.58 points, becoming the second Kazakhstani in history to win a gold medal at the Winter Olympics. In his short program, he scored 92.94 points, while in the free skate he achieved 198.64 points. Initially, after the short program, he was in fifth place, trailing behind all the main favorites.
Competition Results
The silver medal was won by Japanese figure skater Yuma Kagiyama, who scored 280.06 points, while another Japanese athlete, Shun Sato, received the bronze medal with a score of 274.90 points.
A significant event at the Olympics was the fall of two-time world champion Ilia Malinin, who, being a favorite, ended up in eighth place, collecting 264.49 points after two falls in his program.
Kazakhstan's Presence at the Winter Olympics
This victory is remarkable, as previously Kazakhstan had only won gold once at the Winter Olympics, which occurred in 1994 when skier Vladimir Smirnov triumphed in the 50 km event in Norway.
Mikhail Shaidorov is only 21 years old. He has already become the silver medalist at the World Championship in 2025 and the winner of the Four Continents Championship also in 2025. His coach is 1994 Olympic champion Alexey Urmanov.
This gold medal not only highlights the achievements of Kazakhstani athletes but also opens new horizons for the development of figure skating in Kazakhstan.
