On Friday at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, 21-year-old Mikhail Shaidorov of Kazakhstan won gold in the men’s figure skating event at the Milano Ice Skating Arena, Italy.
Late evening, Friday, 13 February 2026. Why it matters: Shaidorov’s victory is one of the most surprising in winter sports history and marks Kazakhstan’s first figure skating Olympic title.
How Did Shaidorov Win Gold?
Shaidorov delivered a composed, technically strong performance in the free skate to total 291.58 points, leapfrogging rivals after sitting fifth following the short programme.
He opened with a clean triple Axel-quad Salchow combination, a high-value element that helped him build momentum and confidence. Later in his routine, he nailed complex jumps with minimal mistakes, a contrast to several top contenders.
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Gold for Kazakhstan at @Olympics from Mikhail Shaidorov in figure skating. #MilanoCortina2026 @milanocortina @ISU_FigureFor #Kazakhstan, it’s the second gold medal in Winter Olympics history and first-ever Olympic gold in figure skating. pic.twitter.com/K8VxQlu2sD
— The Astana Times (@TheAstanaTimes) February 13, 2026
“It was important for me to enjoy what I was doing and show what I’ve learned over the years. Tonight the stars aligned,” Shaidorov said.
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What Went Wrong for the Favourite, Ilia Malinin?
American Ilia Malinin, the clear favourite and widely expected to dominate the Winter Olympics figure skating men’s competition, saw his free skate unravel.
Malinin had planned a daring program with seven quadruple jumps, including a rare quad Axel, a jump he had successfully landed before in competition.
But:
- The quad Axel attempt became a single jump
- Two major falls occurred
- Only three quadruple jumps were landed cleanly
His free skate score of 156.33 was over 80 points below his personal best (238.24). That plunged him to 15th in the free skate and eighth overall with 264.49 points.
“I know that it’s done. I can’t change the outcome. I’m trying to understand what happened,” Malinin told reporters.
Who Took Silver and Bronze?
Japan secured both the silver and bronze medals:
| Medal | Athlete |
|---|---|
| Silver | Yuma Kagiyama |
| Bronze | Shun Sato |
Kagiyama, who also won silver at the 2022 Beijing Games, praised Shaidorov’s performance and hinted at the pressure experienced by Malinin: “The whole world was expecting him to win. That must have been an immeasurable amount of pressure,” Kagiyama said.
