sports
February 14, 2026
Ilia Malinin falls twice as Kazakhstan’s Shaidorov stuns field for Olympic gold
For nearly two years, Ilia Malinin has made men’s figure skating feel predictable in the most spectacular of ways. On Friday night on the southern outskirts of Milan, the Olympic Games reminded the sport, and perhaps Malinin himself, that predictability is never guaranteed on its biggest stage.
TL;DR
- Ilia Malinin, heavily favored for Olympic gold, made significant errors in his free skate, including falls and missed rotations.
- Kazakhstan's Mikhail Shaidorov won the gold medal, capitalizing on Malinin's mistakes and other contenders faltering.
- Shaidorov's victory marked Kazakhstan's first Olympic figure skating gold medal and first Winter Olympic gold since 1994.
- The unexpected result ended Malinin's dominant 14-competition unbeaten streak and shattered his competitive aura.
- Japan's Yuma Kagiyama took silver, and Shun Sato secured bronze, highlighting Japan's continued technical depth.
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