Mikhail Shaidorov Wins Kazakhstan’s First Winter Olympic Gold Since 1994

Kazakh figure skater Mikhail Shaidorov became the champion of the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Italy, winning the men’s singles event, Orda.kz reports.

The athlete delivered the best skate. In the free program, he scored 198.64 points, and his total across both programs was 291.58 points—his personal best.

This victory brought Kazakhstan its first medal of the current Olympics—and immediately, a gold. Shaidorov became an Olympic champion, writing his name into the history of the nation’s figure skating.

Before him, the only Olympic medal Kazakhstan had won in this discipline was by Denis Ten, who took bronze at the 2014 Winter Olympics.

It is also noted that Kazakhstan last won a Winter Olympics gold medal back in 1994, when Vladimir Smirnov became champion.

Original author: Rustam Muratov