“What happened in Milan reminded me of Lillehammer 1994. Back then, no one considered Urmanov to be a favorite. At the Olympics, you have to be the best on the day of the competition.” Alexei Mishin on Mikhail Shaidorov’s victory at the Olympics
Alexei Mishin commented on the victory of Kazakh figure skater Mikhail Shaidorov at the 2026 Olympics in Milan.
original source: RIA Novosti
Alexei Mishin compared Mikhail Shaidorov’s Olympic victory to Alexei Urmanov’s unexpected win in 1994, emphasizing the importance of performing at one’s best on the day of competition. Here’s a translation of his comment.
Second place went to Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama, and third to his compatriot Shun Sato. American Ilia Malinin, considered the favorite, faltered in the free skate and finished eighth.
“What happened in Milan reminded me of Lillehammer 1994. Back then, no one considered Alexei Urmanov, who was only a bronze medalist at the World and European Championships, to be a favorite.
At the Olympics, you have to be the best on the day of the competition. People can always talk about the weakness of the competitors or the strength of the champion. I would focus on the latter. It’s no coincidence that after Shaidorov’s performance, all the gold medal contenders faltered! They saw Mikhail’s skate, his content, and his scores – and they wavered,” Mishin said.
Related topics: Alexei Mishin, Mikhail Shaidorov, Olympic Games
I agree I was very surprised and the best thing is his team was so lowkey, even I wasn’t aware of them.
They did well .