Mikhail Shaidurov
Mikhail Shaidurov became the champion in men's singles figure skating, scoring 291.58 points, including 92.94 points for the short program and 198.64 points for the free skate. At the beginning of the competition, after the short program, he was in fifth place, trailing behind his main rivals. The silver medal was won by Japanese figure skater Yuma Kagiyama with 280.06 points, while his compatriot Shun Sato took bronze with 274.90 points.
The 21-year-old athlete presented his free skate program to music by Dimash Kudaibergen. This success marked the first Olympic gold for Kazakhstan at the 2026 Games in Italy.
Previously, the only Olympic medal (bronze) in the history of Kazakh figure skating was Denis Ten's medal, won at the Sochi Olympics in 2014. Shaidurov's gold medal also became the second for Kazakhstan at the Winter Olympics; the first gold medal was won by skier Vladimir Smirnov in 1994.
After the short program, which took place on February 10, Mikhail was in fifth place with a score of 92.94 points.
Shaidurov is originally from Almaty and trains under the guidance of Olympic champion Alexei Urmanov. His sports achievements include a silver medal at the World Championships, a gold medal at the Four Continents Championships, as well as Grand Prix awards in China (silver and bronze), a bronze medal at the Asian Games, and the title of champion of Kazakhstan.
