Less than a week after winning the men's singles title on Olympic ice, Mikhail Shaidorov dressed as a panda and hopped with joy at spotting Jackie Chan by the rink boards. More than good entertainment,

The Kazakhstan national team has wrapped up the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Italy with one of the strongest performances in its history. The nat

ASTANA — Kazakhstan finished the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Italy with one gold medal, marking the country’s second-best performance in its history at the Winter Games. The historic victory came in figure skating, while several other athletes achieved top-10 finishes.

The 21-year-old singles figure skater from Kazakhstan may have arrived at Milano Cortina 2026 with the wry whispers of a dark horse contender, but he is leaving as the history maker of one of the Winter Olympic Games 2026’s most famous nights.

New York, NY, United States, February 17, 2026 /MarketersMEDIA/ -- The 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo have already gone down in history as a competition that brought together rich winter sports traditions and a new generation of champions.

Mikhail Shaidorov became Kazakhstan’s first Olympic gold medallist in men’s figure skating after triumphing at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics 2026. View on euronews

ASTANA — President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev presented state awards to Olympic gold medalist Mikhail Shaidorov and his coaching team on Feb. 25, praising the figure skater’s historic triumph at the 25th Winter Olympic Games as a milestone for Kazakhstan’s national sports history.

In a shocking twist at the 2026 Winter Olympics, American figure skater Ilia Malinin​ didn't make it to the podium after falling twice during the free skate. Kazakhstan's Mikhail Shaidorov took home the gold.

Mikhail Shaidorov of Kazakhstan's gold medal in men's free skate stunned everyone — including himself. Here's what he had to say. (AP photo)