Mikhail Shaidorov: “When I realized I had a medal, I felt I deserved it. I’d been through a lot, and I was very happy. But when it went further – second place, then first – it was a complete shock.”
Mikhail Shaidorov on winning the Olympics
original source: Tengri News dd. 23d February 2026 by Yulia Milonova
In an interview with Tengri News, Olympic champion Mikhail Shaidorov described the shock of his victory, the importance of support, and the challenges he faced in preparation. Here’s a translation of his comments.
“Q: Mikhail, congratulations on your historic gold! You’re still in Milan, but how has your life changed in these few days? Have you realized you’re an Olympic champion?
Mikhail Shaidorov: Yes, I’ve realized it now, because there’s more responsibility and a lot of attention. My life hasn’t changed yet, since I’m still at the Olympics. I can’t wait to go home. But I already feel that I’ve achieved one of the greatest things in my life. Now I understand where I’ll go next, what I can look at differently, and in general, how I can continue to grow.
Right now, I feel proud of myself and my country. Our flag was seen around the world, our anthem played at the most important competition for any athlete. That’s already history.
Q: Let’s go back to the competition days. You were fifth after the short program, about ten points behind third place. How did you prepare for the free skate? Obviously, the goal was a medal, but the gap was significant and the competition was tough.
Mikhail Shaidorov: The competition was very tough – at the highest level. This is the Olympics, where athletes come in their best shape. I understood that. I knew everyone was fighting for medals. For me, the most realistic and ideal outcome, if everything went perfectly, was third place. If everyone skated clean and someone made mistakes, I could aim for third. That would have been ideal.
Before the short program, I was mainly focused on making the top six and staying in the strongest warm-up group, which would mean a different level of skating in the free. And after the free skate, you saw what happened (smiles).
Q: You could have skated your planned free program, stayed in the top five, received prize money from the country, and kept your status as a talented skater with “potential.” But you did five quads, which weren’t in your planned content. Recently, you hadn’t been landing those jumps. If they hadn’t worked at the Olympics as we saw top skaters fall – you might not have even made the top five, and people would say you failed. How did you decide to take such a risk? Not every athlete is willing to put everything on the line.
Mikhail Shaidorov: I agree, not every athlete would make that decision, especially on their own, as I did.
Actually, even before the Olympics, about three days before flying to Milan, I felt tense and angry, under constant pressure. I decided to free myself from that and chose to skate a program with five quads.
That’s the content I wanted to do since last year’s World Championships. I told myself I would jump five quads.
But I couldn’t do it. This season, I tried three times and never succeeded. Still, I kept preparing. The entry to the flip was also very unusual – if you lose even a little speed, the jump won’t work. It could be a pop, or a fall. I trained it constantly. After the short program, I thought: what do I have to lose?
Q: That’s the question. You said there was pressure. But if you’d stayed in the top five, it wouldn’t have been bad. But you could have missed the top ten if the jumps failed.
Mikhail Shaidorov: I wasn’t counting on that (laughs). For me, the main goal in figure skating is to overcome myself. I try to do that at every competition. For example, at the Four Continents Championships, I didn’t do five quads, but I made one mistake in the short and one in the free. Fourth in the short and second in the free added up to fifth overall. Despite everything, that’s a good result.
But for me, it was important to break that barrier because I felt I could do better. That risk, on the contrary, gave me confidence. I was driven by adrenaline – pure sporting adrenaline. I just wanted to go out and do it.
Q: On social media, even before the free skate, there was talk that you were landing five quads in practice, and everyone was wondering if you’d do it.
Mikhail Shaidorov: There were a lot of posts about it. Some would call it pressure. But I read everything, didn’t shield myself, and didn’t want to shut it out. It motivated me a lot – people were waiting, wondering what would happen. For me, it was motivating to show that there are no limits, no boundaries; we can do whatever we want, take risks. In my life, risk has always been justified, because I sense those fine moments – I hope it stays that way.
Q: All the skaters who went after you in the free skate fell. Do you think you beat them psychologically? You didn’t falter, but they did.
Mikhail Shaidorov: Maybe so.
Q: Could your performance have unsettled your competitors? After you skated brilliantly, each of them knew they had to do better than you.
Mikhail Shaidorov: That’s probably a question for them. I was actually very worried for each skater who performed after me.
Q: Why? Obviously for Malinin, since you’re friends. But the others?
Mikhail Shaidorov: I just know what each athlete went through to get to the Olympics. Watching live, I sincerely wanted each of them to overcome themselves. Just making it to the Olympics and skating there is already an achievement. All of those skaters, except one, also competed in the team event. It was tough for them, but they still went out and fought.
Q: Another topic – your emotions after the free skate. First, you’re happy to be fourth, then you have a bronze, then silver, and finally – you’re Olympic champion! Were you shocked?
Mikhail Shaidorov: When I realized I had a medal, I felt I deserved it. I’d been through a lot, and I was very happy. But when it went further – second place, then first – it was a complete shock. There’s reality, where you can hope for something good. And then there’s the dream – to become Olympic champion.
And in the moment when you’re hoping for a good result, but then something greater happens – your dream comes true, something you couldn’t have imagined even on the day of the competition – it’s an unreal shock, and I think nothing compares to it.
Q: You didn’t expect this even on the day of the competition – and now the President is congratulating you.
Mikhail Shaidorov: Yes. I saw that after the press conference. For an athlete, a cultural figure, for someone representing their country, who is passionate about their work and truly loves it, giving their all, this is very important.
As an athlete, Olympic gold means a lot to me. As a citizen, the state order is significant. It’s a huge honor to receive such an award from the President for my achievements.
Q: Who was the first person you called?
Mikhail Shaidorov: My parents, of course. They weren’t at the Olympics; they were cheering for me at home. They worry a lot! I think they didn’t even watch my skate live and only watched it later. It’s good they weren’t here – it would have been too hard for them. I saw many people crying in the stands. It’s easier for my parents at home.
Q: How did other figure skaters react to your victory?
Mikhail Shaidorov: Figure skating is a big family. After the scores were announced and I became Olympic champion, many athletes congratulated me. My coach was the first to approach me, and then I ran to my friend, Georgian skater Nika Egadze.
After that, many people congratulated me. I am highly respected in the figure skating world for being an innovator and the only one performing the most difficult combinations. I received many congratulations from other countries. I’m very pleased to represent Kazakhstan.
Everyone knows Denis Ten. Now they know me as the current leader in Kazakhstani figure skating.
For the global community, it’s also a precedent that a country not traditionally strong in this sport surpassed the top nations, where figure skating history spans centuries. Many skaters and coaches told me my story commands immense respect. Of course, Denis Ten paved the way, and I’m very grateful to him. My result has taken our figure skating to a new level.
In any case, both Denis and I have shown young athletes that anything is possible. There are no limits. The main thing is to believe in yourself.
Q: You mentioned you had a difficult season. What did you mean?
Mikhail Shaidorov: There was a lot of attention on me – from fans, officials, and the media. There was a lot of pressure; everyone expected an Olympic medal. I support striving for that, but my sport is extremely unpredictable. At the start of the season, I couldn’t even hope for an Olympic podium.
The season started very tough. I had mistakes in the free skate when I tried five quads, there were constant changes and adjustments to my content. These are normal working moments, but I was searching for what felt right for me.
Q: At the start of the season, you changed your short program but then returned to the old one. Why?
Mikhail Shaidorov: I decided to bring back “Dune” because I feel it better. I’m more emotional in that program and ready to express its idea. The program I originally prepared for this season didn’t seem to fit the Olympics.
I decided to bring back “Dune,” and it took on new life – especially at the Olympics. That didn’t happen at the Four Continents Championships or the Grand Prix Final.
Q: You skated your free program to a song by Dimash Kudaibergen, who promised you a car after your gold. How meaningful is it to be recognized by the performer?
Mikhail Shaidorov: I’m very grateful to Dimash for acknowledging my achievements. For any skater, it’s important to be recognized and supported by the performer, especially in this way. I couldn’t have dreamed of it. I chose this music five years ago, when I was nobody – just a skater trying to achieve something.
After the 2025 World Championships, I decided to use this program for the Olympic season. Many said it didn’t suit me, that I didn’t feel it, and so on. There was a lot of criticism online about the choreography, the program, the music. But I always stuck with it. It was my dream to skate to this music. I said I wouldn’t give up and would keep performing to it.
Related topics: Mikhail Shaidorov, Olympic Games
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