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In a stunning upset that left spectators and competitors alike in disbelief, Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Shaidorov captured the men’s figure skating gold medal at the Milano Ice Skating Arena on Friday night, while heavily favored American Ilia Malinin tumbled to eighth place after a disastrous free skate.
Malinin, nicknamed the “Quad God” for his unparalleled jumping abilities, wandered through the arena tunnels after his performance, visibly struggling to comprehend what had transpired. As Coldplay’s “Viva La Vida” played during Shaidorov’s victory lap, the lyrics “I used to rule the world” seemed to capture the moment perfectly.
“Honestly, I still haven’t been able to process what just happened,” Malinin said. “Going into this competition, I felt really good this whole day. Feeling really solid. I just thought that all I needed to do was trust the process that I’ve always been doing.”
The 21-year-old American, who entered the free skate with a commanding five-point lead, saw his two-plus-year unbeaten streak come to an abrupt end. His performance marked one of the most significant upsets in Olympic figure skating history.
“It’s not like any other competition. It’s the Olympics,” Malinin added, “and I think people don’t realize the pressure and the nerves that actually happen from the inside. So it was really just something that overwhelmed me and I just felt like I had no control.”
Shaidorov, also 21, seized the opportunity with a career-best score of 291.58 points, delivering Kazakhstan’s first gold medal at these Winter Games. Japan claimed the remaining podium spots, with Yuma Kagiyama earning his second consecutive Olympic silver medal and Shun Sato taking bronze.
Malinin’s total of 264.49 points was his worst score in nearly four years. “Honestly, yeah, I was not expecting that,” he said. “I felt going into this competition I was so ready. I think maybe that might have been the reason, is I was too confident it was going to go well.”
The American’s Olympic journey had shown hints of vulnerability from the start. He was defeated by Kagiyama in the short program of the team event, though he rebounded sufficiently in the team free skate to help secure the United States’ second consecutive gold medal in the team competition.
Malinin appeared to have regained his confidence during Tuesday’s individual short program, establishing a seemingly insurmountable lead over Kagiyama and France’s Adam Siao Him Fa heading into Friday’s finale.
On the day of the free skate, Malinin had opted to practice at the U.S. Figure Skating’s alternate training facility in Bergamo outside Milan, perhaps seeking a break from Olympic pressure. During the warm-up, he showed no signs of trouble, executing his practice jumps flawlessly while wearing his signature black-and-gold costume.
Then came the performance that may haunt him for years to come. Malinin opened with a clean quad flip but then had to abort his planned quad axel—a jump only he has ever landed in competition. Though he recovered with a quad lutz, his program quickly unraveled.
He doubled a planned quad loop, disrupting his timing. He fell on a quad lutz, preventing him from completing the second half of a planned combination. His final jumping pass, intended to be a high-scoring quad salchow-triple axel combination, deteriorated into a double salchow on which he fell.
“He never messes up,” remarked Italy’s Daniel Grassl, “so obviously we’re all a little surprised by how it went.”
Among those watching were 2022 Olympic champion Nathan Chen, seven-time Olympic gold medalist gymnast Simone Biles, and actor Jeff Goldblum with his wife, Emilie.
“I knew that I could not have necessarily a perfect program and still manage to have a good skate. But just really, something felt off,” Malinin reflected, “and I don’t know what it was, specifically. I’m still trying to understand what that was.”
Meanwhile, Shaidorov, known for spectacular jumps but inconsistent performances, appeared as shocked as everyone else when he realized he had won gold. Having placed only sixth after the short program, the world silver medalist delivered the performance of his life, landing five quads in a technically flawless program.
When asked about his gold medal, Shaidorov’s response was remarkably straightforward: “It was my goal. It’s why I wake up and go to training. That’s it.”
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7 Comments
Malinin’s collapse is really surprising given his dominant form leading up to the Games. But Shaidorov deserves all the praise for capitalizing and delivering under immense pressure. Upsets like this are what make the Olympics so captivating to watch.
Malinin’s performance is a stark reminder that even the most talented athletes can falter on the biggest stage. Shaidorov’s victory is a triumph of hard work, mental toughness and seizing the moment. Congratulations to him on an Olympic gold medal.
It’s a shame Malinin couldn’t deliver on his potential, but that’s the nature of elite competition. Shaidorov must be on cloud nine right now – a gold medal at the Olympics is a career-defining achievement.
Malinin’s collapse is certainly surprising, but that’s the nature of elite competition. Shaidorov must be overjoyed to have capitalized and claimed the gold medal. It just goes to show that anything can happen at the Olympics.
Wow, what a stunning upset! Malinin was the heavy favorite, but it looks like the pressure of the Olympics got to him. Shaidorov must be thrilled to have pulled off this incredible victory.
I feel for Malinin, that has to be devastating. But credit to Shaidorov for seizing the opportunity and delivering a standout performance when it mattered most. The Olympics can be so unpredictable.
What a heartbreaker for Malinin. He seemed primed to dominate, but the Olympic spotlight can be unforgiving. Kudos to Shaidorov for skating the performance of his life and pulling off this stunning upset.