Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Shaidorov shocks favourite Ilia Malinin to win Olympic gold, proving “nothing is impossible” with a stunning free skate performance.
MIKHAIL Shaidorov said his Olympic men’s figure skating gold proved “nothing is impossible” after shocking US star Ilia Malinin to make history for Kazakhstan.
Shaidorov, the world silver medallist, had been in fifth after the short programme but delivered a technically exceptional free skate to grab gold. Malinin, the two-time defending world champion, finished off the podium in eighth place.
The Kazakh skater hit five quads and an incredible opening triple Axel-Euler-quadruple Salchow combination. His free skate to “The Diva Dance” earned personal best scores of 198.64 for the routine and 291.58 overall.
“I still can’t believe I’m an Olympic champion,” said a surprised Shaidorov. He paid tribute to Malinin, calling him “very important for figure skating” and “the best skater in history”.
Malinin had been leading after the short programme but capitulated in the free skate. The 21-year-old fell twice and singled his attempt at a first quadruple axel in Olympic history, ultimately finishing 15th in the free skate.
“When I was watching Ilia skating I was surprised because usually he’s exceptional,” Shaidorov said. “I was rooting for him. When you’re nervous you can make mistakes, as they say in figure skating ‘the ice is slippery’.”
To calm his nerves, Shaidorov revealed he had assembled Lego before taking to the ice. Such was his relief after his four-minute routine that he collapsed on the ice afterwards.
“I felt relieved this incredible pressure was gone,” he said. “I did everything I could and nothing else depended on me that moment.”
Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama, second after the short programme, also fell during his routine but took silver. His compatriot Shun Sato moved up from ninth to claim bronze, while France’s Adam Siao Him Fa dropped from third to seventh.
Shaidorov’s gold is only the second title for Kazakhstan at a Winter Olympics. Vladimir Smirnov won cross-country gold in Lillehammer in 1994, while figure skater Denis Ten won bronze at the Sochi Olympics in 2014.
Shaidorov praised Ten, who died aged 25 after being stabbed by car thieves. “Denis Ten influenced me and figure skating in Kazakhstan,” he said. “He opened the door for us. I hope this medal will open the door for skaters from Kazakhstan to know the sky is the limit.”
The 21-year-old hopes his victory will boost the sport’s popularity in his country. “I hope after my victory we’ll have better conditions for young people to join the sport and know that nothing is impossible.”
The Sun Malaysia
