NBC Sports on Shaidorov’s triumph
NBC Sports has published a review of the men’s singles figure skating event at the Winter Olympic Games, in which the victory of Kazakhstan’s figure skater Mikhail Shaidorov is described as one of the most stunning upsets in recent Olympic figure skating history, Qazinform News Agency reports.
The article notes that the competition had initially been viewed as a potential coronation of the main favorite, American skater Ilia Malinin. However, the course of events unfolded differently. According to NBC, it was the free skate that completely reshaped the standings and became the turning point of the entire Olympic tournament.
Journalists emphasize that Mikhail Shaidorov, who skated 20th, delivered “the performance of his life,” scoring 198.64 points in the free skate and 291.58 points overall. The article separately highlights that the Kazakh athlete confidently took the lead and then held onto first place as one rival after another struggled under the pressure of the Olympic final.
NBC also takes a detailed look at Ilia Malinin’s performance, noting that the skater made several mistakes on key elements, including the quad Axel, which prevented him from contending for gold. Malinin later admitted that it was difficult for him to process what had happened, but he was the first to congratulate Shaidorov on his victory.
The silver medal was claimed by Japanese skater Yuma Kagiyama, who retained second place thanks to a solid, though not flawless, performance. The bronze medal went to another Japanese athlete, Shun Sato, who managed to climb onto the podium after a strong free skate.
In conclusion, NBC underscores that the outcome of the event served as a vivid reminder of the unpredictability of the Olympic Games, where even carefully constructed forecasts can be completely overturned by a single performance.
Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that Kazakhstan provided extensive state and public support to Olympic champion Mikhail Shaidorov, highlighting how the country rewards its athletes following major international victories.